Mayor of Peru’s Capital Resigns to Run for Presidency

The ultra-conservative mayor of Lima resigned on Monday, announcing his candidacy for the presidency of Peru, a country currently facing rising violent crime and political instability.

Rafael Lopez Aliaga, an engineer by training and a wealthy entrepreneur with business interests in hotels and railroads, has served as mayor of Lima since 2022. He is currently leading opinion polls for Peru’s next presidential election.

His announcement comes just three days after Congress impeached the deeply unpopular former president Dina Boluarte, who now faces multiple investigations for corruption and abuse of power.

Peru’s Current Political Context

Lopez Aliaga, 64, belongs to the traditionalist Catholic group Opus Dei and has embraced the nickname “Porky”, turning it into a political brand.

• In June, during a road project visit, a supporter gifted him a piglet in a cape. He named it “Worky”, symbolising his commitment to labour and productivity.
• Peru’s media have dubbed his second presidential run “Porky’s revenge.”

He officially resigned as mayor via a letter read to the city council, stating: “I announce my resignation from the position of mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima to run in the primaries of the Popular Renewal party.”

Lopez Aliaga previously ran for president in 2021.

Lopez Aliaga’s platform reflects a hardline law-and-order agenda:

Peru is experiencing a deepening security crisis, with extortion, contract killings, and daily violence affecting citizens nationwide.

Lopez Aliaga’s tough-on-crime rhetoric aims to appeal to voters frustrated by the government’s perceived inability to maintain law and order. His emphasis on military tribunals for violent offenders underscores his ultra-conservative and authoritarian leanings.