Citizens of Peru will head to polling stations Sunday to select their nation’s ninth leader in a single decade, choosing between a conservative candidate whose father previously held the presidency and a nationalist lawmaker.
In April’s initial voting round, Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez emerged victorious over 33 competing candidates by pledging to address escalating criminal activity, which has become the primary concern for citizens witnessing murder rates climb twofold and extortion incidents skyrocket throughout this decade. However, neither candidate secured even 20% of voter support.
Sunday’s final results are anticipated to show a close race, with the ultimate winner potentially remaining unknown for several days. Election officials required over a month to formally announce that Fujimori — whose late father Alberto Fujimori was a former president later convicted of crimes — and Sánchez — who supports imprisoned former President Pedro Castillo — had won the April 12 primary.
Peruvian law requires citizens between 18 and 70 years old to participate in elections. Registration records show more than 27 million eligible voters, with approximately 1.2 million expected to submit ballots from overseas locations, primarily from the United States and Argentina.
A significant portion of these voters has indicated uncertainty about their choice.
“There is a large group of undecided voters … I think that’s where the emotionally driven anti-votes will play out the final battle,” political analyst Iván García said.
The primary worry among Peruvians centers on increasing criminal activity, especially extortion schemes, which have sparked numerous public demonstrations. Research conducted in 2025 by the state’s National Institute of Statistics and Informatics revealed that 84% of urban respondents expressed fear of becoming crime victims within the next year.
Specialists link the growing influence of criminal organizations in Peru to revenue generated by long-established gangs involved in unauthorized gold extraction operations in the Andes and Amazon regions. During 2025, Peru shipped 100 tons of illegally extracted gold, nearly matching the volume of legitimately mined gold exports.
Over the past five years, extortion reports nationwide have increased five times, totaling 28,948 incidents last year, while murders have doubled to reach 2,226 in 2025, based on government statistics.
The Ministry of Economy calculated in July that criminal activity costs Peruvians approximately $5 billion each year. This amount encompasses government investment in law enforcement operations as well as private expenditures on security cameras and protection services.
Despite crime issues and political turmoil caused by frequent presidential changes — with three leaders since October alone — Peru’s economy has remained resilient. Benefiting from its position as the globe’s second-largest copper producer, the nation achieved over 3% economic expansion in both 2024 and 2025.
At age 51, Fujimori is making her fourth bid for the presidency.
During her campaign, she has vowed to address crime with strict enforcement measures. Her platform includes deploying technology to monitor extortion activities, militarizing national borders, and expanding police and military presence in dangerous zones. She has also stated that incarcerated individuals will be mandated to work and “repay society.”
During the sole pre-runoff debate, Fujimori supported her father’s administration and vowed to eliminate crime similar to his victory over the Shining Path terrorist organization.
She told voters that should she win, they will see “cheaper chicken, affordable gas cylinders, reasonably priced fertilizers for your crops” and will “return home safe and sound.”
Recently, Fujimori has also worked to moderate her hard-line crime stance through friendly outreach to past political opponents, including former President Pedro Kuczynski, who beat her in 2016.
Kuczynski stepped down in 2018 following removal demands led by Fujimori’s political party, to whom she later offered an apology for creating instability.
“I know that throughout my political life I have made mistakes, and I have learned from them,” Fujimori said during the debate.
Sánchez, a former government minister, has worked to calm investor worries about his candidacy by stating he will not seize assets belonging to international companies extracting minerals or gas from Peru.
He has also committed to fighting police corruption and advancing reforms allowing military involvement in security operations.
During the debate, Sánchez, who enjoys strong support among rural communities, indicated openness to “all options to generate jobs and progress” while highlighting his backing of Chinese investment.
He told The Associated Press that he will seek to renegotiate mining contracts, including the one for Las Bambas, one of the world’s largest copper mines, controlled by the Chinese state-owned company Minmetals.
The 57-year-old candidate, who wears a wide-brimmed peasant hat given to him by Castillo, has also separated himself from ultranationalist ally Antauro Humala — a former military officer and brother of the imprisoned former President Ollanta Humala — who proposes applying the death penalty in corruption cases.
