Peruvians vote in crowded presidential race
Peruvians went to the polls to vote for a new president and members of congress, voting in the first round of more than 30 presidential candidates after years of political turmoil.
With no clear frontrunner and all major candidates receiving well below the 50 percent needed to win outright, a runoff election on June 7 seems likely.
That could prolong uncertainty at the world’s third-largest copper producer at a time when crime is rising and the rivalry for influence between the United States and China is intensifying.
Voting centers opened at 7 am local time and approximately 27 million people had the right to vote.
Earlier in the day, voters in parts of Lima complained that many voting centers had not yet opened.
Margarita Sandoval, 35, said she waited in line for two hours before she could enter the ballot box in Chorrillos, the southern district of the capital.
“I have to work and I can’t vote,” Sandoval said.
“These elections are a disaster”
Others said the crowded race made the decision difficult.
“I only decided who I was going to vote for a week ago,” said Benjamin Alcantara, a 33-year-old store assistant.
Peru has changed eight presidents since 2018, raising doubts that a new administration will have a full five-year term after a dizzying turn of events wrought by impeachments, corruption scandals and weak government coalitions that have paralyzed decision-making.
“People really despise the current Congress,” said Martin Cassinelli of the Atlantic Council.
“They see them as responsible for the political chaos we have experienced in the last decade.”
Political distrust has fueled a crowded field that spans the ideological spectrum, including veteran politicians, a far-right businessman and a television comedian.
The most well-known of these is conservative Keiko Fujimori, who is making her fourth presidential bid after reaching the second round in each of the previous three races.
Fujimori, who was educated in the United States and is the leader of the powerful congressional People Power party, described himself as a guarantor of order and economic stability and appealed to voters alarmed by rising violent crime.
But his candidacy remains polarizing because of his family legacy and past legal troubles.
Former Lima mayor Ricardo Belmont, a candidate from the center-left Civil Labor Party, rose to second place after a late surge in support.
He is followed by popular comedian Carlos Alvarez, who campaigns on a tough-on-crime platform.
Both are viewed by analysts as outsiders gaining traction by taking advantage of a broader anti-establishment mood.
On the right, former Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a wealthy businessman with socially conservative views, ran his campaign on an ultraconservative platform but saw support fluctuate.
Public distrust emerged as the dominant theme of the campaign.
Murders and extortion cases have increased in recent years, partly due to drug trafficking and illegal mining.
Many of the leading candidates have proposed expanding the armed forces’ role in homeland security.
The election also carries geopolitical consequences.
Peru’s deepening economic relationship with China, now its largest trading partner and a major investor in mining and infrastructure, has raised concerns in Washington, which has stepped up diplomatic and security activities ahead of the vote.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
