General elections were held in Peru from 12 to 13 April 2026 to elect the president, vice presidents, and the national legislature. As no presidential candidate achieved a majority of votes in the first round, a runoff election was held on 7 June.
🗳️ Election Process
The president is elected using the two-round system. The first round of voting allows eligible voters to vote for any viable presidential candidate. The top two candidates who receive a plurality of the vote proceed to the run-off election.
The winner of the run-off election and the presidential election is the candidate who receives a plurality of the popular vote. However, if in the first round the candidate who is in the first place already gets more than 50% of the popular vote, that candidate will automatically win the election.
🏛️ Congressional Structure
The congressional elections will determine the composition of the Congress of Peru, which will return to being a bicameral legislature with a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies. The 130 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected in 27 multi-member constituencies using open list proportional representation.
The 60 senators are elected through two systems, with 30 elected in a single nationwide constituency and 30 elected from the 27 constituencies used for the Chamber of Deputies. To gain seats in each chamber, parties must both reach a 5% electoral threshold of valid votes at the national level and also qualify for at least 5% of the number of seats of the respective chamber.
👥 Candidates and First Round
A record number of presidential candidates participated in the first round of elections, with 36 individuals appearing on the initial ballot. In the first round, right-wing politician Keiko Fujimori placed first, and left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez placed second, narrowly surpassing far-right businessman Rafael López Aliaga.
Napoleón Becerra of the Workers and Entrepreneurs Party appeared on first round ballots despite dying in a car accident on 15 March 2026, since they had already been printed. The remaining two candidates who went to the run-off election, Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez, will appear on the second round ballot.
⚠️ Political Instability
The election was held after a prolonged period of political instability that began well before the current electoral cycle. During the presidencies of Ollanta Humala, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Martín Vizcarra, the Congress was dominated by the opposition Popular Force. Fujimorists in Congress earned a reputation as hardline obstructionists for blocking initiatives popular with Peruvians aimed at curbing the nation’s rampant corruption.
Due to broadly interpreted impeachment wording in the 1993 Constitution of Peru, Congress can impeach the president on the vague grounds of “moral incapacity”. Congress, which had already attempted to impeach Castillo twice, began a third process of impeachment in late 2022.
🔄 Presidential Succession
In October 2025, Boluarte was removed from office by Congress on “permanent moral incapacity” grounds amid mounting public anger over insecurity and corruption allegations. In his position in the order of succession, president of Congress José Jerí succeeded Boluarte, initially assumed the presidency leading into the 2026 elections.
However, in February 2026, José Jerí was removed from office by Congress for holding undisclosed meetings with Zhihua Yang, a Chinese businessman under scrutiny from the Peruvian government. He was succeeded by José María Balcázar, who was elected by Congress to serve as president of Congress and thus made president of Peru.
🔒 Voter Concerns
The primary concerns among voters in the election were corruption and crime, though with extortion and homicides increasing greatly since the previous election, security became the main concern for voters. Extortion crimes increased 1,000% between 2023 and 2025, with gangs targeting schools, small businesses and transportation workers.
Between 2019 and 2024, the national homicide rate grew 200% and in 2025, about 33% of people reported knowing someone affected by extortion. Over 500 schools in Peru faced extortion, and 325 were closed due to threats.
| Category | Detail | Date | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | 36 candidates; Keiko Fujimori placed first, Roberto Sánchez second | 12-13 April 2026 | Runoff election scheduled for 7 June 2026 |
| Runoff | Keiko Fujimori vs. Roberto Sánchez | 7 June 2026 | Winner determined by plurality |
| Congress | Bicameral: 130 Deputies, 60 Senators | 2026 | 5% threshold for seats |
| Presidential Succession | Boluarte removed Oct 2025; Jerí succeeded; Jerí removed Feb 2026; Balcázar succeeded | 2025-2026 | Balcázar became president |