On April 12, 2026, Peruvians are voting in a crowded presidential race that has become a referendum on crime, distrust and the country's political churn. The ballot features 35 candidates, including a former minister, a comedian and a political dynasty heiress, and the most likely outcome is a June runoff between the top two finishers.
More than 27 million people are registered to vote, and participation is mandatory for adults aged 18 to 70. Roughly 1.2 million voters abroad, many in the United States and Argentina, are also expected to cast ballots. A candidate needs more than 50% to win outright, but with a fractured field and broad frustration, that looks highly unlikely. If the pattern continues, Peru will be selecting its ninth president in just 10 years.
Crime is the dominant issue. Homicides have doubled and extortion cases have risen fivefold during the decade, according to official data. More than 200 public transport drivers were killed in 2025, and surveys show that a large majority of urban residents fear becoming victims of crime in the coming year. Candidates have responded with hard-line proposals, including megaprisons, food restrictions for prisoners and even restoring the death penalty for serious crimes.
Keiko Fujimori is making her fourth presidential run and campaigning on a tough-on-crime platform, even as critics say laws backed by her party have made prosecutions harder. Rafael López Aliaga, the former Lima mayor, wants prisons in the Amazon, secret judges and mass expulsions of undocumented foreigners. Carlos Álvarez, a comedian turned candidate, has tried to build security credibility by citing leaders from El Salvador, Denmark and Singapore. Voters are hearing a great deal of forceful rhetoric, but few convincing solutions.
Alongside the presidential race, Peruvians will choose a bicameral Congress for the first time in more than 30 years. The new Senate will have unusual power, including reviewing bills and helping decide whether a president can be removed. Impeachment will be easier under the new rules, even though 80% of voters rejected bicameralism in a 2018 referendum. Lawmakers changed the constitution in 2024, and analysts say the 60-seat upper chamber could concentrate power rather than resolve the instability that has helped turn Peruvian politics into a revolving door.
The new Senate is one of the most consequential changes on the ballot because it could shape how hard it is to remove a president. Under the new rules, the chamber would need fewer votes to impeach than the old unicameral Congress, and it would also gain a role in appointing or reviewing high-level officials. For a country that has gone through repeated leadership crises, that is a structural change with real political weight.
That is why the election is being watched as more than a contest between individual candidates. Peruvians are deciding whether a larger security state, a tougher criminal code and a stronger upper chamber will produce stability or simply shift power into new hands. The promises are dramatic, but the frustration driving them is real, and that combination helps explain why the race feels so open even with so many candidates on the ballot.
