Adedokun Waliyu 
Polls opened in Peru’s presidential and legislative elections Sunday, with crime and instability dominating a crowded race to choose the country’s ninth leader in a decade.
From the Amazon to the Andes, about 27 million Peruvians are obliged to vote.
The presidential field includes 35 candidates, among them a comedian, a media baron, an autocrat’s daughter, and a hard-line ex-mayor who likens himself to a cartoon pig.
The ballot paper itself is almost half a meter long.
Conservative candidates led pre-election polls, suggesting Peru may be the latest nation to welcome a tide of right-wing governments sweeping Latin America.
The frontrunners have tried to outdo each other with promises to kill hitmen, hunt migrants and lock up delinquents in snake-ringed jungle jails.
On the eve of the vote, frontrunner Keiko Fujimori said she would “restore order” in her first 100 days by sending the army into jails, deporting illegal migrants and strengthening the border.
In the last decade, Peru’s homicide rate has more than doubled, while reported extortion cases jumped more than eightfold, from 3,200 to 26,500 a year.
But many voters say they are also fed up with the political class, with scandals and infighting leading to a string of presidents being removed and prosecuted.
The trend is so common that Peru even has a special jail for ex-presidents.
“I wouldn’t vote for anyone. I’m so disappointed with everyone in power,” said Maria Fernandez, a clothing merchant.
“We’ve been governed by nothing but corrupt, thieving scoundrels.”
Pre-election surveys show no candidate polling above 15 percent, far short of the 50 percent needed to win outright.
Barring an upset, a June runoff looks likely.
“I want people to vote for an honest president. That is what I want,” said shopkeeper Anita Medrano, adding she would not vote for traditional candidates.
The election will also decide the makeup of congress, which has played a central role in toppling recent leaders.
Familiar Name
In an interview before election day, Fujimori said she would forge a united front with conservative leaders in the United States, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia.
“We will ask for special powers — powers to modernize police stations, and powers for the armed forces to help us control the prisons,” she said.
“The armed forces will participate alongside the national police in controlling the borders. We will expel undocumented citizens.”
This is Fujimori’s fourth bid for the presidency. Her father, Alberto Fujimori, died in 2024 after serving 16 years in prison for crimes including corruption and human rights abuses.
During the campaign, she has invoked nostalgia for his strongman rule.
“I believe that time and history are giving my father the place he deserves,” she said.
She faces a challenge from former Lima mayor Ricardo Belmont, who has surged late in the race with strong support on TikTok.
“He’s collecting votes from left to right, like Pac-Man,” said analyst Patricia Zarate.
Also running are TV comedian Carlos Alvarez and far-right ex-mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga, who has promised to “hunt” Venezuelans and calls himself “Porky.”
Sociologist David Sulmont said the election shows “a major disconnect” between voters and what politicians are offering.
Incumbent president Jose Maria Balcazar, who has been in power for less than two months, is barred from running.
Polls opened at 7:00 am local time and close at 5:00 pm.
