Eight presidents since 2018, four in prison, homicides at record highs
On a Sunday in April 2026, Peru presents the world with a ballot of 35 presidential candidates — a number that is less a sign of democratic vitality than a symptom of institutional exhaustion. Eight presidents in eight years, four former heads of state behind bars, and crime rates at historic highs have brought a nation to a crossroads where the act of voting itself becomes a question about whether collective self-governance can still be believed in. What Peruvians choose, and how many remain unable to choose at all, will speak to something older than any candidate: the fragile human wager that institutions can be repaired from within.
- A ballot stretching 44 centimeters long and counted by hand captures the sheer weight of a democracy straining under its own contradictions.
- Keiko Fujimori leads a fractured field, but three rivals press close behind her, and 13 percent of voters have yet to decide — leaving the outcome genuinely open.
- The political ground beneath this election has been shifting violently: eight presidents since 2018, impeachments, arrests, and forced resignations have hollowed out the normal machinery of power.
- Four former presidents sit in prison, most tied to the Odebrecht bribery scandal, and the judicial reckoning has drained whatever remained of public confidence in those who govern.
- Extortion cases rose nearly 20 percent in a single year and homicide rates reached record levels, making crime not a backdrop to this election but one of its central stakes.
- The record field of candidates signals a population searching beyond the established political class for something — or someone — that might still make reform feel possible.
Peru goes to the polls on Sunday to elect a president and fill seats in a congress only recently restored to function. The ballot tells part of the story before a single vote is cast: 35 candidates are competing for the presidency, the largest field in the nation's history, on ballots so long they must be counted by hand.
Keiko Fujimori, a right-wing candidate, holds a narrow polling lead, pressed closely by former Lima mayors Rafael López Aliaga and Ricardo Belmont, and by Carlos Alvarez, a political outsider who built his public profile as a comedian. Roughly 13 percent of voters say they have not yet made up their minds.
The fragmentation visible in those numbers reflects something deeper than competitive politics. Peru has cycled through eight presidents since 2018 — removed by impeachment, arrested, or forced out by pressure. The country's institutions have grown so unstable that the ordinary machinery of governance barely holds together. Four former presidents are currently imprisoned, most on corruption charges tied to the Odebrecht construction scandal that spread bribery across Latin America. When the highest officeholders end up behind bars, the message about the state of the republic is difficult to misread.
Crime has worsened alongside the political disorder. Extortion cases jumped nearly 20 percent in the past year alone, and homicide rates have reached levels the country has never recorded before. For many Peruvians, Sunday's vote is less a routine election than a referendum on whether the nation's institutions can be salvaged at all. The record number of candidates suggests widespread belief that the existing establishment has failed — and that untested voices might offer a way forward. What emerges from the counting will reveal whether Peruvians still believe reform is possible, or whether faith in the system itself has quietly run out.
Peru goes to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president and fill seats in a bicameral congress that was only recently restored to function. The ballot itself tells part of the story: 35 candidates are running for the presidency, the largest field in the nation's history. Voting stations open at 7 in the morning and close at 6 in the evening, local time. The ballots are unwieldy things—up to 44 centimeters long—and will be counted by hand.
Keiko Fujimori, a right-wing candidate, holds a narrow lead in the polling. She is being pressed closely by at least three other serious contenders. Two of them are former mayors of Lima: Rafael López Aliaga, whose politics sit far to the right, and Ricardo Belmont, a media businessman. The fourth is Carlos Alvarez, a political outsider who made his name as a comedian. About 13 percent of voters say they have not yet decided.
The fragmentation visible in these numbers reflects something deeper than the usual messiness of a competitive election. Peru has cycled through eight presidents since 2018. Some were removed through impeachment. Others were arrested. Still others were forced from office by circumstance or pressure. The country's political institutions have become so unstable that the normal machinery of power barely functions.
The rot runs deeper still. Four former presidents are currently in prison. Most of them are there because of corruption cases tied to the Odebrecht construction company, which became synonymous with bribery across Latin America. The judicial system has been grinding through these cases for years, but the damage to public confidence is already done. When the people who held the highest office end up behind bars, the message about the state of governance is unmistakable.
Crime has worsened alongside the political chaos. Extortion cases jumped by nearly 20 percent in the past year alone. Homicide rates have climbed to levels the country has never seen before. For many Peruvians, the election happening on Sunday is not just about choosing a leader—it is a referendum on whether the country's institutions can be salvaged at all. The record number of candidates suggests that many people believe the existing political establishment has failed, and that new voices, however untested, might offer a way forward. What emerges from the voting will say something important about whether Peruvians still believe reform is possible, or whether they have lost faith in the system itself.
Notable Quotes
About 13 percent of voters remain undecided— polling data
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Peru have so many presidential candidates running at once? Is that normal?
No, 35 is a record. It usually signals that voters have lost confidence in the traditional parties and are searching for alternatives. When institutions are seen as broken, more people think they have a shot.
And Keiko Fujimori is winning? Her family has a complicated history in Peru, doesn't it?
Her father was president in the 1990s and is also imprisoned on corruption charges. She's running as a right-wing candidate now, but the fact that she's only slightly ahead despite name recognition shows how fractured the electorate really is.
What about the four ex-presidents in prison—are they all from different parties?
Most are tied to the Odebrecht scandal, which touched politicians across the spectrum. It's not about left versus right. It's about a system where power and corruption became inseparable.
And the crime numbers—extortion up 20 percent, homicides at record levels—does anyone think the next president can actually fix that?
That's the question voters are wrestling with. The institutional collapse and the crime wave are connected. When government loses legitimacy, it loses the ability to enforce order. Sunday's election is really about whether people still believe the system can be repaired.