Peruvians to go to polls hoping to break cycle of instability | Peru
Peruvians go to the polls on Sunday in hopes of breaking the cycle of instability that has produced nine presidents in a decade and a rise in violent crime, corruption scandals and overwhelming distrust of institutions and politicians.
Nearly 27 million people eligible to vote must choose among a record 35 presidential candidates and bicameral congressional candidates; they are all about half a meter long, the longest ballot paper in the country’s history.
Given record murder and mugging rates, fighting crime tops voters’ concerns, but political corruption comes a close second. Four former presidents are in prison, most of them linked to bribery cases involving Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.
Keiko Fujimori, a three-time presidential candidate and daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, has a narrow lead in opinion polls. He is followed closely by comedian Carlos Álvarez and two former mayors of Lima, ultra-conservative Rafael López Aliaga and media mogul Ricardo Belmont.
According to Urpi Torrado of pollster Datum Internacional, neither candidate is polling above 15%, making a runoff on June 7 almost certain.
“This is one of the most unpredictable elections in history,” Torrado said. “There may be surprises this Sunday because we don’t know who will advance to the second round.”
Fujimori, 50, is making his fourth bid for the presidency, having reached the second round in the last three elections (2021, 2016 and 2011) and losing by extremely narrow margins each time. The right-winger served as first lady in the autocratic government of her late father in the 1990s, who was convicted of corruption and human rights abuses and spent 16 years in prison.
Ricardo Belmont, mayor of Lima from 1990 to 1995, rose in most opinion polls, winning the youth vote with optimistic messages and a slogan of “embrace, not bullets” borrowed from former Mexican leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Gonzalo Banda, a Peruvian political analyst and doctoral researcher at the Americas Institute of University College London, called Belmont “an anti-establishment candidate who draws votes from the right, left and center.” The 80-year-old artist is also known for making xenophobic and sexist statements.
López Aliaga, who was Lima’s mayor until a few months ago, was running a far-right campaign filled with disinformation, hate speech and threats against journalists and opponents. But the 65-year-old railway magnate, who opposes gay marriage and has vowed to reject abortions for underage rape victims, has lost ground in the polls.
The surprise participant is Álvarez, one of Peru’s best-known comedians who has been impersonating presidents for the past three decades. But his suggestions are far from peace of mind. He describes himself as a fan of Donald Trump and El Salvador’s leader Nayib Bukele, and his tough-on-crime campaign focuses on megaprisons and the death penalty.
“Because of this cycle, ironically, poetic [political] “If there is decay in Peru, we may be faced with a comedy artist impersonating politicians as president,” Banda said.
Other candidates include Roberto Sánchez, who was supported by ousted former populist leader Pedro Castillo and wears a wide-brimmed fedora in the same style. Centrist candidates include former defense minister Jorge Nieto and former university president Alfonso López Chau.
Torrado said: “No political leader has emerged who can create a sense of hope, a feeling that this person can change the political course of the country or solve its problems. Peruvians feel that in recent years politicians have turned their backs on the people.”
