Polling stations opened across Peru on June 7 for the second round of the presidential election, closing a tumultuous campaign season marked by controversy and protests. The race pits 51-year-old right-wing candidate and former first lady Keiko Fujimori against 57-year-old leftist congressman Roberto Sanchez.
This vote marks the ninth change of leadership in Peru in a decade, as presidents have frequently been forced out through resignations or impeachment proceedings in recent years.
The first round on April 12, which featured 35 candidates, raised concerns about transparency due to logistical problems and a lengthy vote count. Fujimori easily led the field with 17 percent of the vote, but it took weeks to confirm that Sanchez was her runoff opponent with 12 percent support.
The third-place finisher, far-right former mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, alleged fraud in the counting process, though election monitors found no evidence to support his claims.
“I hope the whole process is transparent and that people’s votes are respected,” 43-year-old voter Evelyn Pazos told AFP. Meanwhile, Hugo Vasquez (67), a handicraft seller in Lima, voiced the widespread frustration among Peru’s 27 million registered voters: “There is so much disorder and corruption — we’ll vote for the lesser evil, as always.”
Fujimori, daughter of former right-wing President Alberto Fujimori, defends her family’s legacy. She has faced criticism over human rights abuses committed under her father’s rule, including forced sterilization of indigenous people and extrajudicial executions by “death squads.” The leader of the Popular Force party, which has controlled Congress for years, campaigns on a tough-on-crime platform, vowing to “defeat terrorism” and imposing a 60-day state of emergency.
Sanchez, a former foreign trade and tourism minister under leftist ex-President Pedro Castillo (who was arrested and impeached in 2022), styles himself as a similar figure. A psychologist by training, he targets rural and indigenous voters, pledging anti-poverty measures, police reform, and a new constitution “built collectively through dialogue and citizen participation.” He also promises compensation for victims of Alberto Fujimori’s government and abolishing laws that protect law enforcement from accountability.
Just hours before the vote, a judge ruled that Sanchez must stand trial on charges related to irregularities in his party’s finances — a move his allies condemned as an interference with the ballot.
Although Fujimori led the first round, analysts say the large pool of disgruntled voters could tip the scales in the second round. About 7.16 million people did not vote in the first round, while 12 percent cast blank ballots and 5 percent spoiled their votes.
