Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, one of the 36 candidates for head of state in April’s general elections, died in a traffic accident while on his way to fulfill a campaign agenda in the south of the country, sources from his party and press outlets reported this Sunday (15).
Becerra, 67, who led the leftist Workers and Entrepreneurs Party (PTE-Peru), suffered the accident on the Vía de los Libertadores highway, in the Huancavelica region, while traveling to the neighboring region of Ayacucho, the broadcaster reported. RPP the candidate for deputy for Lima and spokesperson for her party, Emely Silva.
“We were informed a few minutes ago of the accident by comrades who are in the region and who were traveling with him. They notified us that our president (Napoleón Becerra) passed away”, said Silva.
PTE-Peru appears in voting intention surveys in the “others” category, as it has less than 1% of citizens’ preference.
According to the information, which was confirmed by official outlets such as the newspaper El Peruano, Agência Andina and broadcaster TV Perú, the candidate was heading to the Andean city of Ayacucho, more than 550 kilometers south of Lima, in a private vehicle to continue with his electoral campaign.
The RPP detailed that the accident occurred at kilometer 183 of Vía de los Libertadores, in the jurisdiction of the town of Huaytará, in Huancavelica. The mayor of the Pilpichaca district, Balvín Huamaní, reported that the candidate was traveling in a pickup truck that fell into a ditch on the side of the road for reasons that have not yet been clarified.
According to the information, Becerra was taken to a nearby medical center, but died as a result of the injuries he suffered, while three other people who were in the same vehicle were injured, two of them seriously, and were transferred to the city of Ayacucho.
After the news was released, other presidential candidates, such as center-right Marisol Pérez Tello, from the Primero la Gente party, expressed their condolences to Becerra’s family and supporters.
Centrist candidate Jorge Nieto, from the Partido del Buen Gobierno, said he “really regrets” what happened, as does businessman and right-wing politician César Acuña, from the Alianza para el Progreso party.
“At a time like this, Peru must unite with respect and solidarity,” wrote Acuña on the social network
General elections in Peru will be held on April 12 to elect national authorities for the period 2026-2031, including the Presidency and its two Vice-Presidencies, a Congress with 130 deputies, a Senate with 60 members and five representatives for the Andean Parliament.
If no presidential candidate obtains half plus one of the votes, on June 7th there will be a second round between the two presidential candidates with the most valid votes.
