A comedian, a political heir, and a businessman nicknamed “Porky” are leading polls ahead of Peru’s presidential vote Sunday, though a record 35 candidates make a runoff likely.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of late president Alberto Fujimori, leads with 15% in the final Ipsos poll. Running on her fourth attempt, she has moderated her tone but emphasizes strict law-and-order measures.
“Our country needs order. And we already achieved that” in the 1990s, she said. Her proposals include forcing prisoners to work for food and withdrawing Peru from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to establish “faceless” courts.
TV comedian Carlos Alvarez surged to second place, promising an “iron fist” against extortion and murder. “Those wretches don't deserve to live,” he told AFP. Political scientist Carlos Melendez called him “an outsider in every sense of the word.”
Far-right businessman Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a devout Catholic dubbed “Porky,” appeals to Trump-style supporters. He proposes deporting Venezuelan migrants, allowing U.S. forces to capture criminals on Peruvian soil, and building penal colonies in the Amazon. “Like Trump, he's the kind of politician you can't imagine moderating his position,” Melendez said.
Leftist Roberto Sanchez, a former trade minister, could mount a rural-backed surprise similar to Pedro Castillo’s 2021 victory.