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Peruvians, like their South American counterparts in Ecuador, will head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president. If no candidate wins an absolute majority of votes in the first round, the top two candidates will compete in a runoff on June 6.
The election comes after an unprecedented period of political instability and widespread protests in late 2020 following the impeachment of former President Martín Vizcarra.
Here’s what you need to know about the top six candidates based on an Ipsos poll from March 31:
Yonhy Lescano: A four-term member of Congress, Lescano was first elected in 2001 before leaving in 2019. His long career in politics and association with an established political party have therefore earned him high name recognition. More recently, Lescano has distanced himself from fellow Popular Action congressman Manuel Merino, who held Peru’s presidency for less than a week in November 2020 following the impeachment of Vizcarra. His candidacy stands to attract fellow social conservatives who want more economic aid from the state, as well as voters seeking a centrist option.
Hernando de Soto: An internationally recognized economist known for his advocacy of private property and the free market, de Soto has risen in the final weeks of the campaign. He is a former director of Peru’s Central Bank and was a key economic advisor to former President Alberto Fujimori. For some voters, de Soto stands out as a competent alternative in a field of populist firebrands.
Rafael López Aliaga: Some observers have dubbed López Aliaga the “Peruvian Bolsonaro.” A business man and former Lima city councilor, López Aliaga is a longtime member of the National Solidarity Party, who he became its president in 2020 and renamed it Popular Renovation. López Aliaga has positioned himself as an ultra-conservative political outsider, and his candidacy could appeal to the private sector and to Peruvians who may have supported Keiko Fujimori in the past.
Verónika Mendoza: An anthropologist by training, Mendoza served fives years in Congress and finished third in the 2016 presidential election with 18% of the vote. Mendoza is one of the few candidates not from Lima, which could appeal to voters in the country’s interior. She is also the only socially progressive leftist among the leading candidates. But she may lose votes to the center-leftist Lescano, who has been rising in the polls.
George Forsyth: A former professional soccer player and reality TV contestant, Forsyth used his celebrity to enter politics in 2010 and was elected mayor of Lima’s working-class La Victoria municipality in 2018. He is a fresh face who sells himself as a new generation of politician at a time of widespread frustration with the political class, and his limited experience in politics means he has less baggage than other candidates. On Feb. 25, electoral authorities declared Forsyth’s candidacy invalid for a second time, citing discrepancies over declared income sources. Forsyth can appeal the decision.
Keiko Fujimori: Fujimori has a high level of name recognition as the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence for human rights violations during his 1990-2000 government. She also has the highest negative ratings among the candidates running. Fujimori narrowly lost two presidential elections in 2011 and 2016. A cloud currently hangs over her campaign as she has been held twice in pre-trial detention related to alleged laundering of illegal campaign donations from Odebrecht.
Market Pulse: Since launching in March, traders have placed their money on Lescano to be the next president of Peru. The Popular Action congressman opened trading at 49¢ today, putting him 19¢ above de Soto and 34¢ ahead of López Aliaga. It should be noted that the “hot” candidate at the moment is de Soto. He's seen his share price rise from 2¢ on April 2 to 30¢ as of close yesterday.
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