Three days of presidential debate begins in Peru

Peru will begin three days of presidential debates today in the lead-up to April 11 general elections.

Over the course of the three days, presidential candidates from Peru’s 12 major parties will face off in three sets of televised debates. Notable participants in these debates are former footballer George Forsyth of the centrist Victoria Nacional Party and Yonhy Lescano of the left-of-centre Popular Action Party.

Expect these debates to focus heavily on corruption and the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Corruption has been central to Peruvian political discourse in the wake of the Odebrecht scandal, which saw widespread accusations of fraud and bribery across South America, particularly in Peruvian political leadership.

Much uncertainty still remains over which two candidates will enter the runoff after the first round of elections. While polling suggests Forsyth holds the lead with 11% support, closely followed by Lescano with 10%, general sentiment among Peruvians is apathetic at best. There is no clear frontrunner, and many Peruvians are dissatisfied with the political establishment in the wake of years of corruption. This election uncertainty has already caused the Peruvian Sol to lose 12% of its value, so expect further economic downturn if election malaise continues.

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