The advance of the electoral scrutiny in Peru has surprisingly placed Roberto Sánchez as one of the protagonists of the presidential contest, by disputing the second place with Keiko Fujimori in an election marked by the fragmentation of the vote and high competition among multiple candidacies.
Sánchez, candidate of the coalition Juntos por el Perú, has gained ground as the official count progresses, consolidating himself as the main reference of the left in this phase of the electoral process and questioning the initial advantage of other conservative aspirants.
In the initial count of the elections, the second place was foreseen for the conservative candidate Rafael López Aliaga, from the Renovación Popular formation. But this unexpected turn in the electoral count has given wings to the possible second protagonist in the second round.
Former minister in the Government of Pedro Castillo
Roberto Sánchez was Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism during the government of former president Pedro Castillo, with whom he maintains political affinity and to whom he is ideologically linked within the so-called Andean left bloc.
His recent political career has been marked by his time in the Executive and his subsequent leadership of a candidacy that seeks to bring together progressive sectors and voters disillusioned with traditional forces.
A speech focused on "rural Peru" and political change
During the campaign, Sánchez has built his discourse around the representation of the so-called “Deep Peru”, with special emphasis on rural and Andean areas, which he considers historically marginalized by the centralist political system.
On the economic front, its program defends greater state intervention in strategic sectors, the promotion of public companies in key areas, and a review of the current model of concessions and relations with large companies. It also proposes a more progressive fiscal policy aimed at redistributing wealth.
In the social sphere, Sánchez focuses a good part of his discourse on the so-called "deep Peru", with proposals aimed at reducing the gap between Lima and rural regions, especially in Andean and Amazonian areas. Among his priorities are the improvement of basic services, such as health, education, and access to drinking water, as well as inclusion policies for historically marginalized communities.
And in the institutional sphere, it proposes reforms aimed at combating corruption, strengthening citizen participation mechanisms and reviewing the functioning of the political system, including the role of Congress.
A fragmented but rising left
Sánchez's candidacy has benefited from the dispersion of the progressive vote into multiple options, which has allowed him to climb positions in the count against more consolidated rivals in the center and the right.
His/Her rise has placed him/her in direct contention for an eventual pass to a second round, in a still open scenario and conditioned by the final vote count.
Pending the completion of the definitive scrutiny, the presidential race in Peru continues without a closed result, with several candidates in narrow margins and with the possibility of a second round still to be defined.
In this context, the figure of Roberto Sánchez emerges as one of the key factors to understand the rebalancing of forces in Peruvian politics after highly competitive elections.