{"id":47182,"date":"2026-04-11T01:21:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T01:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47182"},"modified":"2026-04-11T01:21:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T01:21:11","slug":"peruvians-to-go-to-polls-hoping-to-break-cycle-of-instability-peru","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47182","title":{"rendered":"Peruvians to go to polls hoping to break cycle of instability | Peru"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Peruvians go to the polls on Sunday hoping to break a cycle of instability that has produced nine presidents in a decade as well as surging violent crime<\/a>, corruption scandals and overwhelming distrust in institutions and politicians.<\/p>\n

About 27 million people who are eligible to vote must choose between a record 35 presidential candidates as well as contenders for the bicameral congress \u2013 all from a ballot sheet measuring nearly half a metre, the longest in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

The fight against crime tops voter concerns amid record homicide and extortion rates but political corruption comes a close second. Four former presidents are in jail, most of them linked to bribery cases involving the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Keiko Fujimori, a three-time presidential candidate and the daughter of the late president Alberto Fujimori<\/a>, holds a narrow lead in opinion polls. She is closely followed by the comedian Carlos \u00c1lvarez and two former mayors of Lima, the ultra-conservative Rafael L\u00f3pez Aliaga<\/a> and the media mogul Ricardo Belmont.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the late president Alberto Fujimori<\/a>, holds a narrow lead in the opinion polls.<\/span> Photograph: Renato Pajuelo\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

None of the candidates is polling above 15%, making a runoff on 7 June almost certain, according to Urpi Torrado, of the polling company Datum Internacional.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the most unpredictable elections on record,\u201d said Torrado. \u201cThere could be surprises this Sunday because we don\u2019t know who will make it through to the second round.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fujimori, 50, is making her fourth bid for the presidency, having reached the runoff in the last three elections (2021, 2016 and 2011) and losing by extremely narrow margins each time. The rightwinger served as first lady in the autocratic 1990s government of her late father, who was convicted over corruption and human rights abuses and spent 16 years in prison.<\/p>\n

Ricardo Belmont, who was Lima\u2019s mayor from 1990 to 1995, has risen in most opinion polls, winning the younger vote with his upbeat messaging and the slogan \u201chugs not bullets\u201d<\/a>, borrowed from the former Mexican leader Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador.<\/p>\n

Gonzalo Banda, a Peruvian political analyst and doctoral researcher at University College of London\u2019s Institute of the Americas<\/a>, called Belmont an \u201canti-establishment candidate catching votes from the right, the left and the centre\u201d. The 80-year-old is also known for making xenophobic and sexist remarks.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>A band plays in support of Jorge Nieto, a former Peruvian defence minister, at a rally in Lima on Thursday.<\/span> Photograph: Sebasti\u00e1n Blanco\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

L\u00f3pez Aliaga, who was Lima\u2019s mayor until a few months ago, has run a hard-right campaign littered with disinformation, hate speech and threats against journalists and opponents<\/a>. But the 65-year-old rail magnate, who has opposed same-sex marriage and pledged to refuse abortion to underage rape victims, has slipped in the polls.<\/p>\n

The surprise entry is \u00c1lvarez, one of Peru\u2019s best-known comedians, who has been imitating presidents for the last three decades. However, his proposals are far from lighthearted. He describes himself as an admirer of Donald Trump and El Salvador\u2019s leader, Nayib Bukele<\/a>, and his tough-on-crime campaign has focused on megaprisons and the death penalty.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is ironically poetic that due to this cycle of [political] decay in Peru<\/a>, we could end up with a comedy performer who imitates politicians as president,\u201d said Banda.<\/p>\n

Other candidates include Roberto S\u00e1nchez, who has been endorsed by the ousted former populist leader Pedro Castillo<\/a> and wears the same style of wide-brimmed sombrero. Centrist candidates include a former defence minister, Jorge Nieto, and a former university rector, Alfonso L\u00f3pez Chau.<\/p>\n

Torrado said: \u201cNo political leader has emerged who can generate a sense of hope, a feeling that this person could change the country\u2019s political course or solve its problems. Peruvians feel that in recent years, politicians have turned their backs on the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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