Cynthia McClintock, professor of political science and international affairs at The George Washington University: “Keiko Fujimori has worn out her welcome. In the 2016 elections, her first-round vote share was 40 percent but, after corruption charges in 2018, only 13 percent in the 2021 elections. Now, she is in second place in pre-election polls, but with less than 10 percent. Her party, Fuerza Popular, is widely considered to be dominant in a Congress that Peruvians loathe; it is perceived to be complicit in organized crime, which has expanded dramatically. For example, so far in 2025, approximately 50 bus drivers have been killed for refusing to make extortion payments. In this context, demands for an ‘iron fist’ are strong and the current presidential front-runner, with about 12 percent, is Renovación Popular’s Rafael López Aliaga (aka ‘Porky’), a Trump-like far-rightist who placed third in the 2021 elections and was subsequently elected mayor of Lima. However, Lima’s mayors are often front-runners but never winners; rather, outsiders with greater appeal beyond Lima tend to prevail. With 39 presidential…”