Lima, Peru — A former minister, a comedian and the heiress to a political dynasty are among the 35 candidates hoping to become Peru’s candidate Ninth President in just 10 years.
Sunday’s election is taking place during this time increase in violent crime and corruption, which is fueling widespread dissatisfaction among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency. Many candidates have responded to crime concerns with sweeping proposals, including building mega-prisons, restricting food to prisoners, and reinstating the death penalty for serious crimes.
“Now you can’t trust anyone, nothing will change,” said Juan Gomez, a 53-year-old construction worker, carrying two heavy bags of potatoes and rice to feed his five children. “(Criminals) come on motorcycles, put a gun to your head… You look around and there are no police officers.
“What are you going to do? You just let them rob you.”
Here’s what you need to know about the latest presidential contest.
Voting is mandatory for Peruvians aged 18 to 70. More than 27 million people are registered, and about 1.2 million of them are expected to vote from abroad, primarily in the United States and Argentina.
A candidate needs more than 50% of the votes to win outright. However, given the deeply divided pool of voters and candidates, a runoff in June is almost certain to be the largest in the Andean country’s history.
A major concern is rising crime, leading to frequent protests. According to official figures, murders have doubled in this decade and cases of extortion have increased five times.
“You get on the bus, and you have to sit away from the driver; you don’t know if you’ll make it home alive,” said Raul Zevallos, a 63-year-old retiree. “Criminals ride up on motorcycles, shoot, kill the driver, and you might die too.”
More than 200 public transportation drivers died in Peru in 2025. The same year, a national survey conducted by the state’s National Institute of Statistics and Informatics found that 84% of respondents in urban areas feared becoming a victim of crime in the next 12 months.
Thirty-five names are on the ballot, including Keiko Fujimoridaughter of a conservative former congresswoman and Late President Alberto Fujimori. This is his fourth attempt to become President.
Keiko Fujimori has promised to crack down tough on crime, but she has also defended laws that experts say make it difficult to prosecute criminals. Laws supported by his party in recent years ended pretrial detention in some cases and increased the threshold for confiscating criminal assets.
If elected, he has said that judges hearing criminal cases will remain anonymous and that prisoners will have to work to earn their food.
Rafael López Aliaga, the conservative former mayor of Peru’s capital Lima, is also in the running. He has proposed building prisons in the country Amazon regionAllowing judges to conceal their identities and expel foreigners living in Peru illegally.
Meanwhile, comedian-turned-politician Carlos Alvarez has tried to drum up support by promising to convene the leaders of El Salvador, Denmark and Singapore to take advantage of their expertise in security.
Following recent reforms of the legislature, Peruvians are electing a bicameral Congress for the first time in more than 30 years, which will concentrate much power in the new upper house. The President would not be able to dissolve the new Senate, although the Chamber would be able to remove a President from power.
Under the new bicameral structure, it will be easier to impeach the President, with the Senate needing only 40 of the 60 senators to approve it. Previously, 87 out of 130 MPs in the unicameral House had to vote in favor of removal, and they repeatedly exercised that power, which contributed. revolving door of presidents of the country In the last decade.
The bicameral system is coming back, even though 80% of voters rejected it in a 2018 referendum. To make this possible, lawmakers amended the Constitution in 2024.
Alejandro Boyco, a researcher at the Institute of Peruvian Studies, said the Senate would appoint and approve high-ranking officials, including the country’s ombudsman, members of the Constitutional Court and some central bank directors. Senators will also review and amend bills from the lower house.
“They’ve concentrated too much power in a chamber of 60 people,” Boyko said. “They will not be immune from being corrupt.”
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García Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela.
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