Peruvians Vote in Presidential Runoff

Peruvians voted Sunday between two candidates with different policy approaches as the country holds its ninth presidential election in ten years. Concerns over rising crime shaped the contest. The two candidates advanced from an April first round in which neither received 20 percent of the vote.

Electoral authorities took more than a month to certify the finalists. Roughly 30 percent of voters remained undecided before Sunday, according to pollsters. Voting is mandatory for citizens aged 18 to 70. More than 27 million people are registered, including about 1.2 million expected to vote from abroad.

A 2025 national survey by the state's National Institute of Statistics and Informatics found that 84 percent of urban respondents feared becoming crime victims in the next year. Experts link the rise in organized crime to profits from illegal gold mining.

One candidate proposed technology to track extortion, militarizing borders, and expanding police and military presence in high-risk areas. The candidate also said prisoners would be required to work. The other candidate pledged to fight corruption inside the police and to allow the military to assist security efforts.

The candidate said the campaign would remain open to options for generating jobs and would support Chinese investment while ruling out nationalization of foreign mining or gas assets.

Both candidates cast ballots in Lima.

A food vendor in the capital said she submitted a blank ballot, citing disappointment with prior leadership and lack of confidence in either finalist. The United States ambassador to Peru visited a Lima voting center and told the television station Latina the visit was to observe and ensure transparency.

The ambassador added that the United States wants to work with whichever candidate wins. The winner will be sworn in next month.