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Unknowns in Peru’s Elections on Sunday

If parties continue dividing up the Peruvian political landscape, there is little reason to expect greater governmental stability after the elections.

By Rafael Rojas (Confidencial)

HAVANA TIMES — Peru’s political system is one of the most fragmented and unstable in Latin America. A series of institutional flaws and ingrained political habits has led the country into a permanent governance crisis, in which presidents serve very short periods and party and legislative elites prefer to survive through fragmentation rather than risk losing their respective strongholds.

The April 12th election will be another test for this dispersed political system. None of the three leading candidates (Keiko Fujimori, Rafael Lopez Aliaga, or Carlos Alvarez) has the electoral base needed to win on the first round. According to a poll cited by El Comercio, the frontrunner Fujimori would be hovering around 18% of the vote.

Daniel Zovatto, a keen observer of........

© Havana Times