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A record-breaking field: What to expect from Peru's presidential ...
Over the past decade alone, Peru has seen nine different presidents occupy the government palace in Lima. On Sunday, it sets out to elect a 10th.This weekend marks the first round of what is expected to be a two-part presidential election in Peru, as voters seek an escape from the turmoil that has characterised Peruvian politics in recent years.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Human rights court orders reparations for forced sterilisation case in Perulist 2 of 3More than 30 injured in nightclub bombing in northern Perulist 3 of 3Press freedom declines in Americas, with US seeing sharpest drop: Reportend of listRight-wing candidates like Keiko Fujimori have been polling ahead of their left-wing counterparts in the weeks leading up to the pivotal vote.But the race could still yield unexpected outcomes. This year’s Peruvian presidential race has brought together a record number of candidates, reflecting the fractures and conflicts in the political system.As a result, many polls show a fragmented electorate, with voters divided among dozens of different candidates. No single contender has been able to decisively break away from the pack.A large chunk of voters also remains undecided. Crime and corruption loom large as election-season issues.Who are the candidates, and what could Sunday’s election mean for Peru’s political crisis? We explore these questions and more in this brief explainer.When is the election?The first round of voting will take place on April 12. The country’s presidency and all seats in Peru’s Congress are up for grabs.If no single presidential candidate captures more than 50 percent of the vote, a second round of voting will be held on June 7, pitting the two top-performing candidates against each other.How is the congressional election different this year?In 2024, an electoral reform was passed that would bring back Peru’s bicameral legislature.That reform is slated to take effect this election cycle: Voters will select candidates to form a Senate for the first time since 1992.The bicameral legislature was previously dismantled under the leadership of the late Alberto Fujimori, who dissolved both Peru’s Congress and its Supreme Court after facing opposition to his policies.Experts have widely described Fujimori’s rule from that point forward as a military dictatorship. Fujimori ultimately reorganised Congress as a single-chamber body, a situation that has persisted until 2026 — more than two and a half decades after his leaders...
Peru presidential hopefuls make final pitch to voters
Peru presidential hopefuls make final pitch to voters LIMA, April 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Peru's 35-strong presidential race reached a crescendo Thursday, with candidates making a final pitch to voters tired of crime and chronic political dysfunction. There are few clear frontrunners and any one of a dozen candidates could conceivably pass to June's second round of voting and become Peru's ninth president in a decade. The most well-known candidates in Sunday's election include a popular male comic, the daughter of a brutal autocrat and a former Lima mayor who likens himself to a cartoon pig. None is polling above the mid-teens, far short of the 50 percent needed to win outright. In central Lima, hundreds of supporters of Rafael Lopez Aliaga gathered, waving blue and white flags and chanting, "Porky presidente!" -- a lighthearted embrace of their candidate's resemblance to the famed cartoon pig. MCs blasted salsa and chest-rattling bass lines while promising prizes to the most coquettish supporters. Voting is compulsory in Peru, and about 27 million people can cast their ballots, including millions of first-time voters frustrated with the status quo. Incumbent Jose Maria Balcazar, interim president for less than two months, is barred from running. Forty-nine-year-old Alex Huamam, one of dozens of Lopez Aliaga supporters holding up a 120 meter-long Peruvian flag, said he was backing "Porky" because of his no-holds-barred approach to tackling crime. "He will bring the changes that Peru needs," Huamam told AFP as a stream of supporters in furry pig costumes passed by. Lopez Aliaga has launched Trump-style attacks on the media, claimed the polls were rigged against him and styled his policies on El Salvador's Nayib Bukele - a poster boy for Latin America's growing wave of right-wing populists. Lourdes Calle. 61, was backing "Porky" because "he isn't scared. He's going to take on corruption and criminality that are the root of Peru's problems." "The situation in the country is critical. The governments that we have had in the last ten years have been awful. We've had almost a new president every year," she told AFP. "We're sick of the lies." Pocked with stifling jungles, brilliant snowcapped peaks and bone-dry deserts, this crucible of the Inca Empire has in recent years struggled with chronic political instability and a surge in organized crime. Crime and punishment - Echoing his core campaign message, Lopez Aliaga's closing rally was held in the s...
The risks of embracing Trump in Peru's presidential election
Lima, Peru - A record 35 candidates are vying for the presidency in Peru on Sunday. Only one, however, pitched himself as the most pro-Donald Trump option. Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a chubby-cheeked ...
Trump seeks sphere of influence through Latin American presidential ...
Presidential candidate Rafael López Aliaga, of the Popular Renewal party, delivers a speech during a campaign rally in the Manchay neighborhood in Lima, Peru, Saturday, April 4, 2026.
