Insecurity and instability drive voters in Peru's tight presidential race

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Insecurity and instability drive voters in Peru's tight presidential race52 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleIone WellsPeruBBCBus driver Toño says a criminal gang shot him in the legs and body after demanding money. "If you don't meet our demands, we will kill your drivers. "This message, demanding about $15,000, was sent by a criminal gang to a bus company in a poor suburb of Peru's capital, Lima.

It preceded an armed attack on bus driver, Toño. "They shot me in the legs and abdomen. I was out of work for four months, now I work with fear.

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Although my wounds are dry, internally I feel pain," he says. Toño's case was one of nearly 30,000 extortion incidents reported in Peru in 2025, many targeting small businesses or transport workers. This issue, along with rising homicides, is why insecurity and crime have become top concerns for voters in Sunday's presidential election in Peru.

The right-wing Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the late former president, Alberto Fujimori, is running for a fourth time against left-wing Roberto Sánchez. Fujimori has defined her campaign with an array of "tough-on-crime" policies, while Sánchez has promised sweeping changes to the state and higher public spending. In Lima's suburb of San Juan de Lurigancho, dusty hilltop neighbourhoods sprawl precariously down the slopes.

Armed police guard the gate to the bus depot where Toño works. They say this is Lima's worst district for extortion. Toño, who now drives with plain-clothed armed police on board for his protection, wants whoever the next president is to have a "strong hand against crime".

What Experts Say

According to an independent observatory of crime and violence, 239 drivers were killed last year. "I've never been so afraid to leave my young children. If I had money, I'd leave the country," he says.

Eiffel Calla, head of security at the depot, says five drivers from their company have been attacked. One was killed, another was left in a vegetative state. Fears of insecurity have driven other Latin American nations further right in recent elections, boosting leaders who promise a hardline approach to law and order.

Janeth says she's backing Keiko Fujimori for "economic stability"At her final campaign rallies, Fujimori declared "war" on extortionists, promising to deploy the military against organised crime, control prisons, and work with financial institutions to block extorted money. She's invoked the memory of her father, Alberto Fujimori - president from 1990-2000 - whose hardline approach resulted in him being jailed for human rights abuses. His supporters, though, remember him for bringing order to the country and stabilising the economy.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.