LatinNews Daily - 20 April 2026

*The left-wing Peruvian presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez, who is narrowly on track for a place in the 7 June second round as the vote count continues following the 12 April general election, has sought to assuage market concerns about his plans for government. According to the latest figures from the electoral authority (Onpe), with 93.57% of votes counted, Sánchez (Juntos por el Perú, JPP) leads the third-placed Rafael López Aliaga, of the far-right Renovación Popular (RP), by 12.01%-11.92%. This equates to a difference of around 14,000 votes, while Keiko Fujimori, of the right-wing Fuerza Popular (FP), retains a comfortable lead on 17.05%. Sánchez’s late ascension to second place, which was due to slow vote counting in rural districts, prompted a broad market sell-off on 15 April, with Bloomberg reporting that the sol fell by 1.5% against the US dollar, lagging all major currencies, while the MSCI Peru stock index fell by 7.3% and dollar bonds also sank. Sánchez is a strong supporter of far-left former president Pedro Castillo (2021-2022), who rattled markets with his plans for sweeping constitutional changes but failed to deliver any significant reforms before he was impeached and arrested for illegally dissolving congress. Sánchez, who has said that releasing Castillo from prison would be one of his first acts if he is elected, yesterday sought to calm the concerns of investors and wealthier Peruvians. In an interview with Spanish newswire EFE, he insisted that “we don’t want to take a centimetre of property from anybody, just like… Pedro Castillo didn’t take a sol from anybody”. He said that “we are the popular, communal, Andean, and Amazonian movement that wants the democratisation of political and economic rights”, adding that “we are planning a new pact and a new beginning for our country”. Sánchez also told EFE that he would respect the independence of the central bank (BCRP), after previously suggesting that he would replace the bank’s long-serving president Julio Velarde. In the same interview, he said that he would order extensive audits of Peru’s trade agreements and state contracts, which could be renegotiated.

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