Daughter of convicted ex-president and leftist in a peasant hat: who are the candidates in Peru's presidential election

The right-wing candidate for president of Peru, Keiko Fujimori, and the left-wing candidate, Roberto Sánchez
REUTERS/Alessandro Cinque
Peru will return to the polls this Sunday (7) for the second round of the presidential elections. Keiko Fujimori, conservative and daughter of a convicted former president, will face Roberto Sánchez, a leftist known for wearing a wide-brimmed peasant hat.
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Polls point to an indefinite scenario and indicate that the next president should be elected by a narrow margin. The first round had already been like this: Peru took a month to know who would advance to the final dispute after a vote-by-vote count.
Both Keiko and Sánchez have a well-known past in Peruvian politics. The conservative, who finished the first round in the lead, with 17.17% of the votes, is the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, who spent 16 years in prison for human rights violations committed during his government.
Fujimori's legacy still divides the country. While part of the population claims that the government brought stability to Peru in the 1990s, critics say that the administration was authoritarian. The former president died in 2024, aged 86.
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This is the fourth time that Keiko has tried to be elected president. In all disputes, she reached the second round. In previous campaigns, he sought to move away from his father's image. This time, however, he has embraced public policies adopted during his government.
Sánchez, in turn, was a minister under former president Pedro Castillo, deposed and arrested in 2022 on charges of attempted coup. He received 12.03% of the votes in the first round and surpassed third place by a margin of 21 thousand votes.
The left-wing candidate defends a new beginning for Peru, including the drafting of a new Constitution - the current one was created precisely during the Fujimori government.
See below what each of the candidates defends.
A new Keiko
The conservative candidate for President of Peru, Keiko Fujimori, on May 17, 2026
REUTERS/Alessandro Cinque
At 51 years old, Keiko Fujimori has been in politics since she was a teenager. Graduated in business administration in the United States, she was elected to Congress in 2006 with the highest vote ever recorded for a Peruvian parliamentarian.
The candidate also spent years under investigation for alleged irregular campaign financing. The case was dropped last year. Between 2018 and 2020, she was detained twice in pre-trial detention and spent almost a year and a half in jail.
Keiko has presented herself as the candidate most capable of restoring order and stability in Peru. In the campaign, she has explored the context of violence experienced by the country, marked by an increase in homicides and extortion.
Voters' concern with security has created a kind of nostalgia for Alberto Fujimori's style of government.
In the 1990s, he defeated guerrillas from the Sendero Luminoso group with support from the Armed Forces.
In this wave, Keiko promises strict security measures, tougher anti-terrorism laws and an expanded role for the military in combating violence.
She states that she will wage a "frontal war" against crime.
"We will work with financial institutions (...) to identify, track and block money from extortion", she said.
The tougher speech and alignment with some of her father's ideas were seen as the emergence of a "new Keiko". Still, the party is keen to differentiate her from Fujimori, presenting her as a more democratic candidate.
The new strategy helped Keiko reduce the high rejection rates that marked previous campaigns. According to Ipsos Peru, 40% of voters say they would not vote for her at all.

The rate is lower than that recorded in the first round, when it reached 59%.
In addition to combating violence, Keiko promises to create social programs aimed at the poorest families, including the payment of aid.
New start for Peru
The left-wing candidate for the Presidency of Peru, Roberto Sánchez, on May 17, 2026
REUTERS/Alessandro Cinque
At 57 years old, Roberto Sánchez was almost an underdog in the Peruvian elections. A few weeks before the election, he appeared in the polls with around 7% of voting intentions. The left-wing candidate grew throughout the campaign and advanced to second place in the final stretch of the count.
Raised in an indigenous family with roots in southern Peru, Sánchez says he had a modest education. In interviews, he said that he even considered following religious life and becoming a priest. He attributes the beginning of his political career to social work linked to the Church.
The candidate usually appears in public with a straw hat worn by peasants in the Andean region of Cajamarca, known for its wide brim and high crown. The accessory was worn by former president Pedro Castillo, who is in prison.
Sánchez frequently visits Castillo in prison and states that he will pardon the former president if he is elected. However, he denies that he will return power to his ally.
Among the main promises is the creation of a new Constitution. According to him, the country needs a new beginning.
The candidate defends greater state supervision over natural resources and the creation of taxes on large fortunes.
He also proposes profound changes in the fight against corruption, including more severe penalties, a lifetime ban on holding public office and a reform of the judicial system.
Sánchez still wants the Armed Forces to support the police in fighting organized crime.
"Murder, insecurity and corruption are a single problem," he said. "And the fight must be total."
He also states that, as a Catholic, he supports abortion only in cases of rape or when the pregnant woman's life is at risk. It also opposes any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation, race or religion.
The candidate is also the target of controversy. A Peruvian prosecutor accused him of making false statements in administrative proceedings and falsifying information related to campaign contributions. The Public Prosecutor's Office even requested his arrest.

Source: G1

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