Belaunde survives shooting as Peru’s tense election season turns violent

Rafael Belaunde, a Peruvian presidential hopeful, escaped with minor injuries on Tuesday after gunmen opened fire on his car south of Lima, in an incident that has deepened concerns about rising violence ahead of next year’s election.

Police said two armed men on a motorbike fired “eight or nine shots” at the SUV the 50-year-old was driving near the town of Cerro Azul, about 130 kilometres from the capital. General Oscar Arriola, the national police chief, said Belaunde responded with his own weapon and fired “at least 12 shots” at the attackers. No gunshot injuries were reported.

AFP reported that images broadcasted on local television and shared widely on social media showed Belaunde with blood on his face and shirt. Police later confirmed the stains came from cuts caused by shattered glass. Speaking to reporters, Belaunde said the wounds were “scratches sustained after the incident” and insisted he had received no threats before the attack.

Belaunde, a former energy minister and grandson of former president Fernando Belaunde, is competing in a crowded field of more than 12 candidates ahead of the April 12 vote. He is polling near the bottom, far behind frontrunners Rafael Lopez Aliaga, former mayor of Lima, and Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the late president Alberto Fujimori. Both candidates have promised a hard line on organised crime.

The shooting has alarmed political allies and added to a sense of instability in a country already shaken by corruption scandals and a surge in criminal violence. Pedro Cateriano, a senior figure in Belaunde’s Popular Liberty party, said on RPP radio that the attack marked “a bad start to the campaign” during a period of public anger and youth led protests. “This should worry all of us because it affects our democracy,” he said.

Peru has cycled through seven presidents since 2017, most recently after the impeachment of Dina Boluarte during nationwide unrest over security and corruption. Interim leader Jose Jeri now heads the government until the 2026 transition.

Gino Costa, former interior minister urged the authorities to move quickly. Writing on X, he said the government must “provide guarantees to presidential candidates and stop electoral violence now”.