Un ejército de 35 candidatos buscará este domingo llegar al balotaje del 7 de junio en Perú, en unas elecciones generales que definirán al noveno presidente de la última década en un país con enormes problemas de gobernabilidad.

En un escenario de enorme dispersión, las encuestas revelan que la lucha estará centrada entre tres postulantes que en conjunto apenas obtienen alrededor del 30% de las intenciones de voto.

Ellos son la eterna Keiko Fujimori, hija del exdictador Alberto Fujimori (1990/2000) y candidata de Fuerza Popular (derecha); Rafael López Aliaga, exalcalde de Lima y postulante de Renovación Popular (ultraconservador); y Carlos Álvarez, un popular comediante y aspirante del partido País para Todos (derecha populista).

Más atrás aparece Ricardo Belmont, también exintendente de la capital peruana y representante del Partido Cívico Obras (centro).

La izquierda también aspira a meterse en el balotaje. Postula a Roberto Sánchez, considerado el heredero político del expresidente Pedro Castillo, condenado a 11 años y medio de cárcel por un intento fallido de golpe de Estado en 2022.

Castillo ganó la presidencia en el balotaje de 2021 cuando aparecía séptimo en los sondeos en primera vuelta.

Keiko Fujimori lidera los sondeos, pero tiene un enorme rechazo popular

Fujimori lideró los últimos sondeos con alrededor de 12/15% de votos. La siguen López Aliaga y Álvarez con apenas el 9/10%. “Belmont viene subiendo en las encuestas y puede llegar a pelear por entrar al balotaje”, dijo a TN la directora de la consultora Imasen, Giovanna Peñaflor.

Todos tienen un porcentaje demasiado escaso para aspirar a ser electo en primera vuelta. Para evitar un balotaje, el candidato ganador deberá obtener el 50% más uno de los votos.

Pero no son los únicos. Hay numerosos postulantes, la mayoría desconocidos para los peruanos, entre ellos un exfutbolista (George Forsyth), un prófugo de la Justicia (Vladimir Cerrón, del marxista Perú Libre), militares retirados, empresarios y periodistas.

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A continuación, los perfiles de los tres aspirantes con mayores posibilidades de entrar en un balotaje.

• Keiko Fujimori. A los 50 años, la hija de Alberto Fujimori enfrentará su cuarto intento de llegar a la presidencia. Representa a la derecha tradicional. Su partido Fuerza Popular es el más importante del país, pero “ella tiene un antivoto de dimensiones épicas. Existe la sensación de que el presidente será el que logre competir con Keiko en el balotaje”, dijo Peñaflor. En su campaña prometió “mano dura” contra la inseguridad e implementar “jueces sin rostro” (encapuchados) para juzgar criminales. Jaqueada por problemas judiciales, este año recibió una buena noticia: el Tribunal Constitucional anuló una acusación por lavado de activos de fondos supuestamente recibidos de la constructora brasileña Odebrecht y otras empresas para las campañas de 2011 y 2016.

• Rafael López Aliaga. El exalcalde de Lima, de 65 años, es líder de Renovación Popular (derecha radical). De profesión ingeniero, amasó una fortuna al frente de un grupo empresarial financiero, hotelero y ferroviario. También promete “mano dura” contra la creciente delincuencia y expulsar a todos los inmigrantes venezolanos sin papeles “a su Venezuela querida” . Conocido como “Porky” por su parecido con el personaje de dibujos animados de la Warner Bros, es un político católico, miembro del Opus Dei y ultraconservador que hace gala de su celibato. Según él mismo admitió se autoflagela todos los días y admira a Jair Bolsonaro y Donald Trump. En las últimas elecciones, en las que fue candidato, clamó: “Muerte al comunismo”.

• Carlos Álvarez. Es un popular comediante y presentador de televisión, famoso por sus imitaciones de personajes locales y estrellas internacionales. Se lo considera el veradero “outsider” de estas elecciones. Desde su partido País para Todos es uno de los favoritos para entrar al balotaje. A los 62 años, adoptó un discurso duro contra la criminalidad. Así, se mostró a favor de la pena de muerte y puso en la mira a los sicarios como “objetivo militar”. “Tiene un discurso populista de derecha y se lo vincula con el fujimorismo”, graficó Peñaflor.

En un país que tuvo ocho presidentes en la última década (el último de los cuales, el izquierdista José María Balcázar, fue elegido por el Congreso el 18 de febrero), en estas elecciones volverá a estar en juego la gobernabilidad.

Pope Leo in a Saturday vigil for peace, called out the «delusion of omnipotence» he claimed is fueling war.

«In prayer, our limited human possibilities are joined to the infinite possibilities of God. Thoughts, words and deeds then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God,» he said in a prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica.

He continued, «A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness. It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.»

In posts on X and during the prayer vigil, the pontiff also warned that war «divides» while hope and faith unite humanity.

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«Enough of the idolatry of self and money. Enough of the display of power. Enough of war,» he wrote. «True strength is shown in serving life.»

The archbishop of Tehran, Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, was among those in the pews.

Leo’s words came on the same day the Vice President JD Vance and a U.S. delegation began face-to-face talks with Iran amid an uneasy ceasefire.

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They were some of the first American pontiff’s strongest words yet after he called President Donald Trump’s threat against Iran on Tuesday «truly unacceptable.»  

«Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,» the pope said earlier this week. «There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population.»

Pope Leo XIV speaks to the media on the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, as he leaves the papal residence to head back to the Vatican, April 7, in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

Trump had written on Truth Social «A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!»

Hours later, the president announced a two-week ceasefire subject to Iran agreeing to «the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,» the president wrote in another post.

As the high-stakes talks began on Saturday is Islamabad, Trump told reporters outside of the White House: «We win regardless of what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t.»

Islamabad host peace talks between Iran and the U.S. on Saturday. (Farooq Naeem / AFP via Getty Images)

For more than a month, the pope limited his remarks to muted appeals for peace, but in his Easter blessing last Sunday, he urged «those with weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.»

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Leo also invoked what he said were the final words that Pope Francis issued to the world from the same balcony one year ago, during which the late pontiff warned of a «globalization of indifference.»

«What a great thirst for death, for killing we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world,» Leo said, quoting Francis.

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that high-stakes talks between the U.S. and Iran ended without a deal after Iranian officials refused to accept American terms.

Speaking during a press conference from the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, Vance said Iran has «chosen not to accept our terms.»

«The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,» Vance said. «And I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news for the United States of America.»

The vice president said talks with Iranian officials lasted 21 hours, describing them as «substantive discussions,» but adding the U.S. was unwilling to compromise on its «red lines.»

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«So we go back to the United States, having not come to an agreement. We’ve made very clear what our red lines are, what things we’re willing to accommodate them on and what things we’re not willing to accommodate them on,» Vance added. «And we’ve made that as clear as we possibly could, and they have chosen not to accept our terms.»

Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell asked Vance if he had been in contact with President Donald Trump during the talks, and the vice president said he had been «consistently.»

«I don’t know how many times we talked to him — a half dozen times, a dozen times over the past 21 hours,» Vance said, adding that the U.S. team was also communicating with other members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

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Vice President JD Vance walks with Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires Natalie A. Baker, and Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 11, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/Reuters)

«So, look, we were constantly in communication with the team because we were negotiating in good faith,» Vance said. «And we leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it.»

Vance arrived in Pakistan early Saturday to lead high-stakes negotiations with Iran aimed at preserving a fragile ceasefire announced by Trump earlier this week and preventing a broader regional war.

Vance was joined by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, as part of a senior delegation engaging Iranian officials in Islamabad.

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Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport on April 8, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary. The White House said Vance would lead the U.S. delegation in upcoming peace talks with Iran and was in Hungary supporting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12. (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were negotiating for Iran. 

While Vance declined to elaborate on which terms Iran rejected, he said the U.S. sought assurances that Iran would not develop a nuclear weapon.

«The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,» Vance said. «That is the core goal of the president of the United States. And that’s what we’ve tried to achieve through these negotiations.»

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The talks came over a month after the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28.

Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.