Peru: More than 35 candidates are running for president this Sunday

Published at: 09/04/2026 04:52 PM

In a scenario of unprecedented political fragmentation, Peru is preparing to go to the polls this Sunday, April 12, as part of the 2026 General Elections. With an electoral offer that exceeds 35 presidential formulas, the country faces the challenge of electing a new president in the midst of a climate of high indecision, where no candidate can capitalize on a clear majority according to the latest opinion polls.

Among the figures who lead the preferences are Keiko Fujimori of the Popular Force party, who is seeking the presidency for the fourth time, and the comedian and businessman Carlos Álvarez, from Country for All, whose breakthrough in politics has captured the interest of the electorate looking for faces outside the traditional class.

They are joined by important contenders in regions such as Rafael López Aliaga, Popular Renewal, Jorge Nieto, Good Government and academic Alfonso López Chau, Ahora Nación, who are trying to consolidate their bases in the last hours of the campaign.

In addition to the presidency, Peruvians will elect the members of a new Bicameral Congress, composed of 60 senators and 130 deputies, marking the return to this legislative system after decades of unicameralism.

With more than 25 million citizens called to vote, the deployment of the ONPE and the National Elections Jury (JNE) guarantees the transparency of a day that, due to the volume of candidates, almost irreversibly projects a second round of elections scheduled for next June.

Mazo News Team