Peru sees record 34 candidates enter 2026 presidential election

A record 34 candidates have signed up to contest Peru’s 2026 presidential election, the country’s electoral authority said on Wednesday, underscoring the political instability that has marked recent years, during which several former leaders have been jailed or removed from office.

Those registered for the April 12 vote range from a comedian and a former footballer to Keiko Fujimori, daughter of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who is seeking the presidency for a fourth time. By comparison, 18 candidates took part in the 2021 presidential race.

Electoral officials will release the final list of approved candidates on March 14, according to electoral chief Roberto Burneo, who said at a press briefing that any Peruvian citizen can challenge a candidate’s eligibility on legal grounds.

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Presidential tenures in Peru have frequently ended prematurely due to impeachments, resignations or corruption allegations. The overnight ouster of Dina Boluarte last October marked the sixth straight time a Peruvian president failed to serve a full term.

The most recent president to complete a full term was Ollanta Humala, who governed between 2011 and 2016 but was sentenced to 15 years in prison for money laundering earlier this year.

The list of registered candidates includes the former right-wing mayor of Lima, Rafael López Aliaga, known as ”Porky” for his resemblance to a famous cartoon character.

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Conservative Fujimori will try again after attempts in 2011, 2016 and 2021, when she was defeated by leftist Pedro Castillo, who was impeached and arrested in late 2022.

Other candidates include Vladimir Cerrón, a fugitive from justice and leader of the Marxist party Peru Libre that brought Castillo to the presidency, Carlos Álvarez, a popular comedian and impersonator of former presidents, George Forsyth, a former soccer goalkeeper, and Mario Vizcarra, brother of jailed former president Martín Vizcarra.

With distrust high in traditional parties and politicians, an Ipsos Peru poll released last Sunday indicated that almost half of Peruvians (48%) do not know who to vote for, will cancel their ballot or do not have a favorite candidate.

As such, it is likely there will be no outright winner in the election’s first round and that it will go to a run-off on June 7, according to analysts.

With inputs from agencies