Summary

A recent situation report surveyed the wide-open field in Peru’s April 11 general election, where no one candidate garnered more than 15% support in pre-election polls. The ultimate result was even more shocking, producing a win for Pedro Castillo, a left-wing union activist who barely registered in pre-election polling. Though the count is still ongoing, the early count suggests that Castillo’s opponent could be Keiko Fujimori, the right-wing daughter of disgraced ex-president Alberto Fujimori.

The potential now exists for an ideologically polarizing run-off contest, where voters are forced to choose between two starkly different visions for the future of Peruvian society.