A few weeks before Peru's general elections on April 12, the most recent polls show that right-wing candidates Keiko Fujimori and Rafael López Aliaga are leading the way in voting, marking a trend that reflects the progress of this space in a fragmented electoral scenario.
Both leaders appear in a virtual technical tie, with levels of support that barely exceed 10%, in a contest that brings together more than thirty candidates and in which no candidate manages to consolidate a clear majority. This dispersion not only highlights the structural weakness of the Peruvian political system, but also the wear and tear of a leadership that, in recent years, has been beset by recurring institutional crises.
In this context, the relative advantage of Fujimori, daughter of the late former Peruvian president, and López Aliaga, former mayor of Lima, suggests a social demand oriented to the right that comes with stronger proposals in terms of security, economic stability and governance. This is no small fact: Peru has had multiple presidents in less than a decade, several of them dismissed or investigated for corruption, which has eroded public trust
in institutions. Current Peruvian President José Maria Balcázar
On the other hand, the main candidates of the Peruvian left, such as Alfonso López Chau and Roberto Sánchez, do not manage to exceed 5% of voting intention each. However, a significant percentage of the electorate is still undecided: about 23% of voters have not defined their preference, which introduces a high degree of uncertainty and gives this segment a decisive role in the final result
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According to the polls, everything indicates that the country is heading towards a second round of elections, a common scenario in Peru given the difficulty of a candidate achieving an absolute majority in the first instance. In this possible ballot, the dispute could polarize between right-wing management models, in a regional context where demands for security and economic stability are gaining ground against other
priorities. Former President of Peru Alberto Fujimori Thus, more than a conventional election, this process could mark a turning point for Peru.
A growing part of citizens seems to lean towards right-wing alternatives that promise stronger answers to persistent problems such as insecurity, corruption and economic fragility, in contrast to a left-wing leadership that has failed to provide sustained solutions in these areas
