Peruvian presidential candidate Rafael Belaunde narrowly escaped an attack on Tuesday after gunmen opened fire on his vehicle south of Lima, police said.
According to police chief General Oscar Arriola, two assailants on a motorcycle fired “eight or nine” rounds at the SUV the 50-year-old politician was driving. Belaunde returned fire with his own weapon.
Three bullets struck the front windshield, leaving Belaunde with cuts from shattered glass. Images circulating on television and social media showed blood stains on his face and shirt, though police confirmed his injuries were not serious. Belaunde described them as “minor scratches” sustained in the town of Cerro Azul, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) from Lima.
General Arriola told Peru 21 that Belaunde fired “at least 12 shots” back at the attackers. No gunshot wounds were reported, and Belaunde said he had not previously received any threats.
Pedro Cateriano, a member of Belaunde’s Libertad Popular party, said the incident represented “a bad start to the campaign,” noting Peru’s escalating corruption scandals and organised crime, which have fuelled Gen Z-led protests causing injuries and at least one death.
Belaunde is one of more than a dozen candidates contesting the April 12 general election. He currently ranks low in polls, which are led by former Lima mayor Rafael López Aliaga and Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the late ex-president Alberto Fujimori. Both have promised a hard line on organised crime.
Condemning the attack, Keiko Fujimori wrote on X: “This criminal act reflects the violence affecting thousands of Peruvians every day. We cannot normalise it — it must be confronted with the full force of the law.”
Peru has seen a surge in extortion-related killings in recent years, particularly involving bus drivers targeted for refusing to pay protection money. Prosecutors say 56 drivers have been killed since January.
The growing insecurity has intensified political turmoil, contributing to the impeachment of former president Dina Boluarte and the rise of interim leader Jose Jeri — the country’s seventh president since 2017.
Former Interior Minister Gino Costa urged the government on X to guarantee the safety of presidential contenders and “end electoral violence now.”
Peru’s next president is expected to assume office in July 2026.
— AFP
0 Comments