Peru votes for ninth president in less than decade

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedOpinionSportVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israeli war on IranTracking Israel's ceasefire violationsRussia-Ukraine warDonald Trumpcaret-rightNews|ElectionsPeru votes for ninth president in less than decadeVoters to choose from 35 presidential candidates, including a comedian, a media baron and a political dynasty heiress. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoA woman receives her ballot before voting during the presidential election at a polling station in Lima, Peru [AFP]By Edna Mohamed, AFP and ReutersPublished On 12 Apr 202612 Apr 2026Polls have opened in Peru’s presidential and legislative elections, with no clear frontrunner amid years of political instability. Since 2018, Peru has seen eight presidents, with a high turnover rate marred by impeachments and corruption scandals, leading to voter disillusionment with weak governments. Some 27 million Peruvians are eligible to vote on Sunday to pick the country’s ninth leader in a decade, with polling stations across the country opening at 7am (12:00 GMT) and closing at 5pm (22:00 GMT), with preliminary results expected shortly afterwards. With 35 candidates on the presidential ballot, Peruvians will choose from a wide range of potential leaders, including a comedian, a media baron, a political dynasty heiress, and a hard‑line ex‑mayor who likens himself to a cartoon pig. However, all major candidates continue to poll well below the 50 percent needed to win the election, making a June 7 run-off appear likely. A fruit seller in Lima told the Reuters news agency that she was still undecided on who to vote for. “Peru is a mess, and there’s no candidate worth voting for,” Gloria Padilla said. Clothing merchant Maria Fernandez, 56, also shared the same sentiment. “I wouldn’t vote for anyone. I’m so disappointed with everyone in power,” Fernandez told the AFP news agency. “We’ve been governed by nothing but corrupt, thieving scoundrels,” she added. The most well-known candidate is conservative Keiko Fujimori, who will make her fourth presidential bid after reaching the run-off in all three previous races. While Fujimori has taken a position of guarantor of order and economic stability, her candidacy remains polarising due to her family legacy. Her father, former President Alberto Fujimori, was convicted of human rights abuses and corruption before he died in 2024. On the eve of the election, Fujimori told the AFP news agency that she would “restore order” in her first 100 days if she were to win, sending the army into jails, deporting illegal migrants and strengthening security at the border. At the other end of the political spectrum, Ricardo Belmont – a former mayor of the capital, Lima, running for the centre-left Civic Party Obras – was polling in second place. Popular comedian Carlos Alvarez follows behind Belmont in pre-election polls and has campaigned on a platform of being tough on crime, as Peru’s homicide rate has more than doubled in the past decade. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: