Peru votes for ninth president in less than decade

Voters to choose from 35 presidential candidates, including a comedian, a media baron and a political dynasty heiress.Polls have opened in Peru’s presidential and legislative elections, with no clear frontrunner amid years of political instability.Since 2018, Peru has seen eight presidents, with a high turnover rate marred by impeachments and corruption scandals, leading to voter disillusionment with weak governments.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Advocates push for major probe as US boat strikes in Latin America kill 157list 2 of 3A record-breaking field: What to expect from Peru’s presidential electionlist 3 of 3Ecuador claims 28% drop in homicides amid concerns over anti-crime campaignend of listSome 27 million Peruvians are eligible to vote on Sunday to pick the country’s ninth leader in a decade, with polling stations across the country opening at 7am (12:00 GMT) and closing at 5pm (22:00 GMT), with preliminary results expected shortly afterwards.With 35 candidates on the presidential ballot, Peruvians will choose from a wide range of potential leaders, including a comedian, a media baron, a political dynasty heiress, and a hard‑line ex‑mayor who likens himself to a cartoon pig.However, all major candidates continue to poll well below the 50 percent needed to win the election, making a June 7 run-off appear likely.A fruit seller in Lima told the Reuters news agency that she was still undecided on who to vote for.“Peru is a mess, and there’s no candidate worth voting for,” Gloria Padilla said.Clothing merchant Maria Fernandez, 56, also shared the same sentiment.“I wouldn’t vote for anyone. I’m so disappointed with everyone in power,” Fernandez told the AFP news agency.“We’ve been governed by nothing but corrupt, thieving scoundrels,” she added.The most well-known candidate is conservative Keiko Fujimori, who will make her fourth presidential bid after reaching the run-off in all three previous races.