Peru Votes for President in 35-Candidate Race

Peruvians headed to the polls on April 12 to select their next president from a record field of 35 candidates, marking the 10th leadership change in as many years amid deepening political instability, surging crime, and widespread corruption. The election, held in the capital of Lima and across the nation, also includes voting for a reinstated bicameral Congress, the first since 1992. With no candidate expected to secure more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two contenders is set for June 7.

Recent polls showed conservative Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former authoritarian President Alberto Fujimori, maintaining a narrow lead with 14 to 18 percent support. The 50-year-old, running for her fourth time under the Popular Force party, has positioned herself as a law-and-order advocate, promising a 60-day emergency decree to combat crime and anonymous judges for criminal cases. Trailing her were comedian and political outsider Carlos Álvarez, polling at around 10 to 11 percent with pledges to professionalize the police and accelerate court procedures, and ultraconservative businessman Rafael López Aliaga, known as "Porky," who slipped to 7 to 11 percent after an...