In a referendum held yesterday in San Juan de Kanaris, Lambayeque, 95% of voters rejected the mining project “Canariaco” Canadian company Candente Copper. The miner rejected the result and announced that it will continue with the project. About 2,000 villagers of Kañaris, attended the announced referendum in which they define the social license to explore mineral deposits of Candente Copper Cañariaco.

After an eight-hour day, the consultation revealed a broad rejection of mining by the population, expressed by 95% of votes against. According to the Chairman of the Election Committee, Manayay Emilio Barrios, involving a total of 1896 people, of which 1719 voted against the project and 106 did so in favor. Also, there were 71 blank and null votes.

Manayay said he only voted commoners who were identified with a card and registered in the census. The process was guarded by about 120 police officers from Chiclayo, Jaen and Pucara, who received from 8:00 am to large group of voters. The villagers reached the spot after camiando for 3 or 5 hours from various villages. For consultation were conditioned polling stations in Canaris and Congona Huacapampa.

Accompanying the vote, as observers, the Regional Governor Luis Jacinto Million; Rergional Manager of Development and Production, Francisco Rojas Roalcaba, the Regional Manager of Energy and Mines, Verona Miguel Velasquez and the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Jose Delgado Castro .

They also noted sociologist Juan process Vilela Mattress of the National Confederation of Communities Affected by Mining in Peru (CONACAMI); Felix Delgado Montenegro MUQUI Network, Erwin Salazar Command Control Unit of Lambayeque and other leaders.

Although he did not attend all of the 4.334 qualified members of the community, the number of respondents was six times greater than that of the assembly questioned in July, which would have given the green light to the company.

For his part, the president of the community, Christopher Barrios, sued the executive branch to respect the will of the people and to suspend operations Candente Copper as would have been the agreement between the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Intercultural and Candente Copper Company. “They committed along with the Community to respect the decision dela community in this General Assembly by secret ballot,” said Barrios.