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.<\/p>\n
This weekend marks the first round of what is expected to be a two-part presidential election in Peru, as voters\u00a0seek an escape from the turmoil that has characterised Peruvian politics in recent years.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Right-wing candidates like Keiko Fujimori have been polling ahead of their left-wing counterparts in the weeks leading up to the pivotal vote.<\/p>\n But the race could still yield unexpected outcomes. This year\u2019s Peruvian presidential race has brought together a record number of candidates, reflecting the fractures and conflicts in the political system.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n A large chunk of voters also remains undecided. Crime and corruption loom large as election-season issues.<\/p>\n Who are the candidates, and what could Sunday\u2019s election mean for Peru\u2019s political crisis? We explore these questions and more in this brief explainer.<\/p>\n The first round of voting will take place on April 12. The country\u2019s presidency and all seats in Peru\u2019s Congress are up for grabs.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In 2024, an electoral reform was passed that would bring back Peru\u2019s bicameral legislature.<\/p>\n That reform is slated to take effect this election cycle: Voters will select candidates to form a Senate for the first time since 1992.<\/p>\n The bicameral legislature was previously dismantled under the leadership of the late Alberto Fujimori, who dissolved both Peru\u2019s Congress and its Supreme Court after facing opposition to his policies.<\/p>\n Experts have widely described Fujimori\u2019s 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 \u2014 more than two and a half decades after his leadership ended.<\/p>\n Fujimori\u2019s daughter, Keiko Fujimori, is among the frontrunners in this year\u2019s race. She served as her father\u2019s first lady from 1994 to 2000.<\/p>\n An unprecedented 36 presidential candidates initially announced they were vying for Peru\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n One, Napoleon Becerra, died last month in a traffic accident, bringing the field down to 35, still a record sum.<\/p>\n The vast field is considered a sign of the country\u2019s fractious politics, with no single party or candidate forming a broad enough coalition to unify voters. The large number of candidates is also likely to contribute to voter confusion ahead of the election.<\/p>\n The leading presidential candidate is Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former right-wing leader Alberto Fujimori.<\/p>\n This is her fourth bid for the presidency. In each of her past three attempts, she has made it to the run-off round, a feat she is expected to repeat during this election cycle.<\/p>\n Fujimori represents the right-wing Popular Force party, which has embraced her father\u2019s legacy and supported amnesty for human rights abuses committed during his time in office. Her platform, dubbed \u201cOrder for Peru\u201d, includes a pledge to implement a 60-day emergency decree to address crime.<\/p>\n A well-known comedian running with the right-wing Country for All party, Carlos Alvarez has positioned himself as a political outsider in the race.<\/p>\n \u201cI have not come to divide the country. I have come to state something simple: This is not a fight between the Left and the Right,\u201d Alvarez wrote in the preamble to his platform.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is about uniting the country \u2014 and drawing a firm line between those who love Peru and those who do not.\u201d<\/p>\n Much of his platform is centred on the fight against organised crime in Peru. His goals include speeding up court procedures by 30 percent, setting up temporary judicial mechanisms, and reforming the national police through greater professionalisation.<\/p>\n Popularly known by his nickname \u201cPorky\u201d, after the cartoon character Porky Pig, Rafael Lopez Aliaga is a powerful businessman who served as mayor of the capital of Lima from 2023 to 2025.<\/p>\n This is his second bid for the presidency, after a failed run in 2021.<\/p>\n A representative for the far-right Popular Renewal party, Lopez Aliaga has run a combative campaign with sweeping pledges to elevate conservative social values and crack down on crime and corruption.<\/p>\n He has even suggested he would support foreign intervention, akin to the United States operation that abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.<\/p>\n \u201cJust like Maduro was taken out like a wet guinea pig, the leaders of the Tren de Aragua gang who operate in the United States and live here should be taken out,\u201d Lopez-Aliaga told local media. \u201cAmerican intelligence should be able to come in and take them to the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n A former psychologist and a Congressman since 2021, Roberto Sanchez is running on behalf of the Together for Peru party.<\/p>\n Previously, Sanchez served as the minister of foreign trade and tourism under former leftist President Pedro Castillo, whose self-coup in 2022 ended his term in less than a year and a half.<\/p>\n Castillo is currently serving an 11-year prison term for his attempt to dissolve the government. Still, he has endorsed Sanchez as the successor to his popular left-wing political movement.<\/p>\n In his governing platform, Sanchez has pledged to expand public services to all of Peru\u2019s territories and address social inequality by guaranteeing access to health, justice and education. Among his proposals is a new constitution for Peru.<\/p>\n Most polls show Keiko Fujimori with a notable lead over the other candidates \u2014 but her approval rating only hovers about 15 percent in the crowded field of candidates, creating the potential for a shake-up.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
When is the election?<\/h2>\n
How is the congressional election different this year?<\/h2>\n
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How many presidential candidates are there?<\/h2>\n
Who are some of the top candidates?<\/h2>\n
Keiko Fujimori<\/h3>\n
Carlos Alvarez<\/h3>\n
Rafael Lopez Aliaga<\/h3>\n
Roberto Sanchez Palomino<\/h3>\n
![\"Peru's](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/reuters_69d6a00a-1775673354.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80\")
What does polling say?<\/h2>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/afp_69d6a04d397d-1775673421.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80\")