By Marco Aquino
LIMA, March 9 (Reuters) – Two right-wing candidates – the daughter of a former jailed president and the former mayor of Lima – are out in front of other contenders for Peru’s April 12 presidential election, according to the latest poll, though many voters are either undecided or do not plan on voting.
Keiko Fujimori and Rafael Lopez Aliaga are the only candidates out of a record roster of 36 presidential hopefuls polling in the double digits. Fujimori polled at 10.7% versus her rival’s 10%, according to a Datum Internacional poll released Sunday night on local TV, though roughly two-fifths of those polled either declined to choose a candidate or do not plan on voting in the first place.
The scant support for the leaders suggests that a June 7 runoff is likely, which would be typical for the Andean nation, as no candidate has won in the first round since the end of the last century.
The job of Peru’s head of state has become a revolving door, with eight presidents since 2018. Four former leaders are currently behind bars. Its unpopular right-wing-controlled Congress removed its latest president last month after he held secret meetings with a Chinese businessman.
Over 38% of voters polled between February 27 and March 4 were undecided or had decided not to vote, Datum found. Many of those who do vote will not decide until a week before the election, CEO Urpi Torrado said.
Fujimori, daughter of late former president Alberto Fujimori, who was imprisoned for 16 years for crimes against humanity – including the use of death squads during his decade-long tenure – is on her fourth run for the presidency.
She has been trading places in polling with Lopez Aliaga, an ultra-conservative former mayor who has embraced his nickname “Porky” for his resemblance to a U.S. cartoon pig, as part of his campaign. A fortnight ago, another Datum poll showed Lopez Aliaga in the lead with 13.4% and Fujimori at 9.7%.
Other candidates polling around 5% include leftist Alfonso Lopez-Chau, a former central bank director; millionaire businessman Cesar Acuna; Carlos Alvarez, a popular comedian and impersonator of former presidents; and retired general and former intelligence chief Wolfgang Grozo.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David Gaffen)
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