Description: Roberto Sanchez, leftist presidential candidate and a political ally to the former imprisoned Peruvian president Castillo, unexpectedly surged in the polls, narrowly surpassing Rafael Lopez Aliaga. Keiko Fujimori still maintains a firm lead ahead of the runoff election with the second candidate with most votes expected to be announced by Monday, 20 Apr. Sanchez’s platform rides on appeal to the Peruvian rural community, much alike Castillo’s, with plans to nationalize the economy and focus on restructuring Peru’s mining operations.
Impact: Peru’s disrupted general election in any case would deliver political remnants of former leaders who would likely extend the trilateral crisis in the country that ranges from corruption to collusion between politicians and organized crime and the geopolitical rivalry between China and the US. Fujimori’s lead in the initial ballots indicates that she would triumph in a likely runoff election against any of the two remaining candidates, which aligns with the interests of the US in the country. China’s embeddedness in the mining industry would represent a significant issue for any future government as well as the organized criminal groups which focus on extortion and racketeering.