Fujimori or Sanchez? Peru vote marks 10 years of turmoil

Nine presidents in 10 years — the figure speaks volumes about the current state of Peruvian politics.

On Sunday, voters will return to the polls. This time, they will choose between Keiko Fujimori , leader of the conservative Popular Force party, and Roberto Sanchez, the candidate for the left-wing Together for Peru. Whoever prevails at the ballot, Peruvians will vote in a climate of deep distrust of institutions, political fragmentation and growing concern over insecurity.

For many observers, the central question is not only who will win the presidency, but whether Peru will be able to break out of the cycle of political crises that has characterized its past decade.

The first round revealed the weakness of Peru's political system. Keiko Fujimori advanced to the runoff with just 17% of the vote, while Roberto Sanchez secured around 12%, highlighting a fragmented political landscape in which 35 presidential candidates competed. The result illustrates the extent to which both finalists lack broad support and enter the second round amid a profound crisis of representation.

For Alonso Cardenas, a political science professor at Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University, the roots of the problem run deeper than a simple electoral contest.

"There is widespread discrediting of the ruling class," Cardenas told DW. According to the political scientist, the widespread public rejection extends to Congress, the presidency and the judiciary. "It is a very serious process of implosion within the system of political representation."

Johanna Pieper, a researcher at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, agrees that the election reflects a long-running crisis. "People are simply not happy or satisfied. They have no confidence in politics, the government, or Congress," Pieper told DW. She also points to a society divided between Lima and historically marginalized regions, particularly the Andean highlands.

Keiko Fujimori once again places the country's best-known — and most polarizing — political figure at the center of the campaign. She is the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori , who ruled Peru between 1990 and 2000.