Peruvians to go to polls hoping to break cycle of instability

The Guardian reports that Peruvians will vote Sunday in a presidential election featuring a record 35 candidates, with the country attempting to break a decade-long cycle that has produced nine presidents while facing surging violent crime, corruption scandals, and institutional distrust. Four former presidents are imprisoned on bribery charges, and no candidate polls above 15%, making a June runoff virtually certain; frontrunners include Keiko Fujimori (a three-time failed candidate), comedian Carlos Álvarez, and former Lima mayors Rafael López Aliaga and Ricardo Belmont. The reporting is sourced from named polling analyst Urpi Torrado of Datum Internacional and political analyst Gonzalo Banda, with specific policy positions and candidate backgrounds detailed; bylined by Dan Collyns in Lima, lending on-ground reporting credibility. Reuters, AP, and Al Jazeera corroborate the core facts—35 candidates, institutional instability, and crime/corruption as top voter concerns—confirming the Guardian's framing of historical unpredictability and the scale of the ballot. Watch for Sunday's results and which two candidates advance to the June runoff, as well as whether any frontrunner can consolidate support or if anti-establishment momentum shifts the field further.