Peru’s duelling presidential hopefuls made a final pitch to voters on Thursday, capping a bruising and razor-tight race dominated by anger over rising crime and political instability.
Conservative Keiko Fujimori and leftist Roberto Sanchez staged rival events in Lima ahead of Sunday’s vote, with ardent flag-waving supporters arguing their ‘communist’ or ‘dictator’ opponents would bring the country to ruin.
“We cannot let them win with communism and terrorism,” said bandana-wearing 65-year-old Merida Delgado Perez, a Fujimori supporter, expressing fears that the left could lead Peru down a path seen in Venezuela and Cuba.
Each candidate has framed the election as a turning point for a country that has burnt through eight presidents in a decade.
Polls show the candidates separated by only a few points, with roughly a fifth of voters still undecided in the last week of the campaign.
An inconclusive first round with dozens of candidates reflected widespread frustration with Peru’s political class.
Fujimori, seeking the presidency in her fourth attempt, has campaigned on a hardline security platform, promising military deployments and tougher prisons to confront rising extortion and violent crime.
“This campaign is not about me,” she told supporters.
“This campaign is about every one of you,” she added.
“For the last decades our country has been trapped,” she said, promising a technocratic government that would bring peace.
Fujimori has invoked the legacy of her father, Alberto Fujimori, who led Peru from 1990 to 2000, portraying herself as the candidate capable of restoring order at a time when insecurity dominates daily life for many Peruvians.
Murder rates in the capital, Lima, have tripled in just five years, according to official data.
“Security has been badly affected in Peru, and we hope whoever takes office can reduce it,” said Jeanette Carlos Cordon, a 32-year-old nurse who will vote for Fujimori.
“Recently there has been a lot of extortion, and every day people are dying because of it,” she added.
Alberto Fujimori’s legacy still defines his daughter’s political identity and is both an asset and a liability. He was hailed by supporters for defeating leftist insurgents and stabilising the economy but was later jailed for corruption and human rights abuses before his death in 2024.
Left-wing candidate Sanchez has positioned himself as the voice of poorer and rural voters, pledging ‘radical change’ and blaming entrenched elites and congressional gridlock for years of instability.
His supporters blame Fujimori for weakening institutions and allowing criminal networks to expand amid repeated presidential crises.
“Keiko represents the continuation of dictatorship inherited from her father,” said 63-year-old Cristina Sotomayor.
“I lived during her father’s era, which was marked by total corruption,” she also said.
In Lima’s crime-hit areas, voters say insecurity is their main concern, with extortion and violence shaping daily routines and amplifying demands for decisive leadership.
“Daily life in Peru can be frightening; there is so much crime and so many killings,” said 52-year-old farmer Raul Porras.
“Extortion, murders, protection payments – all of this is happening,” he stated.
Despite the turmoil, Peru’s economy has remained relatively stable, leaving the next president to navigate a divided Congress and deep public distrust in government.
Around 27 million Peruvians are eligible to vote in Sunday’s runoff.
