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LIMA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has been confirmed as President-elect of Peru after winning a narrow victory against Keiko Fujimori in elections. He is expected to assume office on July 28 to succeed President Ollanta Humala for a mandate lasting until 2021.
Kuczynski, 77, is a renowned economist, who has studied at Oxford University in Britain and Princeton University in the United States.
As leader of the Peruvians for Change (PPK), he entered the second round of the 2016 presidential elections after finishing second in the first round to his rival Keiko Fujimori.
A son of immigrants, Kuczynski was born to a Jewish doctor from Germany. His mother was a French-Swiss teacher.
During the presidential campaign, Kuczynski hailed his rich political experience. His political career began as early as 1966 with advising then President Fernando Belaunde Terry, prior to an appointment as the general manager of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru.
Kuczynski was forced to flee Peru in 1968 after a military coup in the South American country.
After years of living in the United States and a long career in business and finance, including working as the chief economist for the International Finance Corporation, a World Bank financial division, Kuczynski returned to Peru in 1980 to serve as minister of energy and mines in the second Belaunde government, effecting the opening up of Peru's mining and oil sectors.
In 2001, he served as the minister of economy in the government of President Alejandro Toledo, but resigned in 2002 over heavy criticism for being too close to the International Monetary Fund.
Kuczynski ended up with a third place in the 2011 presidential elections. In 2015, he set up the Peruvians for Change party, and has led it to victory in the 2016 presidential race.
