Peruvians have already started voting in a fierce second round in the presidential elections this Sunday (7). The polls opened at 9 am, Brasília time, and will close at 7 pm. The first results should be released a few hours after voting ends, but a final count could take weeks.
Voters are choosing between conservative Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, who was imprisoned for human rights abuses, and , a candidate supported by former president Pedro Castillo, imprisoned for an attempted coup. They appear technically tied in the polls.
Surveys show that Peruvian voters are extremely concerned about crime. Homicide and extortion rates soared, leading to widespread protests and the ouster of former president Dina Boluarte.
Fujimori, who previously tried to distance himself from his father’s authoritarian, tough-on-crime policies, won the first round in April, building on the former president’s legacy.
This is the fourth time that Fujimori has participated in one. In 2021, she lost by around 45 thousand votes, or just over 0.2%, to Castillo.
Sánchez hopes he can replicate Castillo’s victory by focusing on Peru’s other major political problem, inequality and the vast socioeconomic divide between the capital Lima and rural regions.
Sánchez promised an ambitious reform agenda, including a new constitution, a review of mining concessions and increased investment in rural regions.
His proposals resonated with a large part of the electorate, including in the country’s growing informal mining sector, but they shook the markets. Peruvian stocks fell on Friday (5) as his campaign gained momentum in the polls.
The first round was turbulent, with accusations of fraud and threats of protests from both sides. The winner of the election will also have to deal with a fractured Congress that has removed three presidents in the past five years.
