LIMA, Peru — Peruvian citizens headed to the polls Sunday to select from a record-breaking field of 35 presidential hopefuls, including a former government official, an entertainer, and the daughter of a deceased former leader, as the South American nation searches for its ninth chief executive in a single decade.
The election unfolds against a backdrop of escalating violent crime and corruption scandals that have left citizens deeply frustrated with their political system. Voters express widespread skepticism about the honesty and qualifications of those seeking the country’s highest office. Crime concerns have prompted candidates to propose dramatic measures ranging from constructing massive detention facilities to limiting prisoner meals and bringing back capital punishment for severe offenses.
Construction worker Juan Gómez, 53, voiced the despair felt by many citizens as he transported bags of potatoes and rice to feed his five children. “You can’t trust anyone anymore, nothing’s going to change,” he said. “(Criminals) come on motorcycles, put a gun to your head… you look around and there’s no police officer.”
“What are you going to do? You just let them rob you,” Gómez continued.
The electoral process requires participation from all Peruvians between 18 and 70 years old. Registration records show more than 27 million eligible voters, with approximately 1.2 million expected to vote from overseas locations, particularly in the United States and Argentina.
Victory requires securing more than half of all votes cast. Given the fractured political landscape and unprecedented number of candidates, a second-round runoff in June appears almost certain.
Rising criminal activity dominates public concerns and has sparked regular demonstrations. Government statistics reveal that murders have doubled while extortion incidents have multiplied by five during this decade.
Retiree Raúl Zevallos, 63, described the daily fear experienced by ordinary citizens. “You get on the bus, and you have to sit far from the driver; you don’t know if you’ll make it home alive,” he explained. “Criminals drive by on motorcycles, shoot, kill the driver, and you could die, too.”
Official data shows that more than 200 public transit operators lost their lives in Peru during 2025. A government survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics revealed that 84% of urban residents fear becoming crime victims within the next year.
The ballot features Keiko Fujimori, a conservative former legislator whose father was the late President Alberto Fujimori. This represents her fourth presidential campaign.
Fujimori has pledged aggressive anti-crime measures while simultaneously supporting legislation that experts argue hampers criminal prosecutions. Her political party has endorsed laws in recent years that eliminated pretrial detention in specific situations and increased requirements for confiscating criminal proceeds.
Her proposed reforms include anonymous judges for criminal proceedings and requiring inmates to work for their meals.
Another contender is Rafael López Aliaga, a conservative politician who previously served as mayor of Lima, the nation’s capital. His platform includes establishing correctional facilities in Peru’s Amazon territory, permitting judicial anonymity, and deporting individuals residing illegally in the country.
Comedian-turned-politician Carlos Álvarez has attempted to build support by proposing to bring together leaders from El Salvador, Denmark, and Singapore to share their security expertise.
Voters are simultaneously selecting members of a bicameral Congress, marking the first time in over three decades that Peru will have both a House and Senate. Recent legislative reforms have concentrated significant authority in the new upper chamber, which the president cannot dissolve, though senators retain the power to remove presidents from office.
The restructured system makes presidential removal procedures more streamlined, requiring only 40 of 60 senators for approval. The previous single-chamber system needed 87 of 130 lawmakers to vote for removal, a power they used frequently and contributed to the constant turnover of presidents over the past ten years.
This bicameral arrangement returns despite 80% of voters rejecting it in a 2018 public referendum. Legislators modified the Constitution in 2024 to enable the change.
Alejandro Boyco, who researches at the Institute of Peruvian Studies, explained that senators will select and oversee senior government officials, including the national ombudsman, constitutional court justices, and certain central bank leadership positions. The upper chamber will also examine and modify legislation from the lower house.
“They’ve concentrated too much power in a 60-people chamber,” Boyco observed. “They are not going to be immune to being corrupt.”
