Six specialists, one debate, one chance to reshape the race
En el umbral de una decisión histórica, Fuerza Popular presentó el lunes a los seis especialistas que defenderán las propuestas de Keiko Fujimori en el debate presidencial del 31 de mayo frente a la coalición de Roberto Sánchez. Es la cuarta vez que Fujimori llega a esta instancia, ahora sin las sombras legales que la persiguieron en campañas anteriores y sin los vínculos personales que antes definían su imagen pública. Lo que queda es la política en su forma más desnuda: dos visiones de país, seis áreas temáticas, y un electorado que ya la ha elegido finalista dos veces antes.
- Perú llega al debate final con una segunda vuelta que emergió de un conteo de 33 días y una disputa de resultados que no encontró sustento probatorio.
- Fujimori enfrenta esta campaña transformada: su padre ha muerto, sus cargos por lavado de dinero fueron desestimados por el Tribunal Constitucional, y su imagen ya no depende de figuras tutelares.
- Fuerza Popular desplegó un equipo técnico de seis perfiles —economistas, exministros, médico y congresista— para confrontar directamente a los especialistas de Juntos por el Perú en cada área crítica.
- El debate del 31 de mayo en el Centro de Convenciones de Lima será el único encuentro directo entre ambas candidaturas antes de la votación definitiva.
- La contienda se perfila como un choque de visiones sobre economía, salud, infraestructura y reforma del Estado, con el país observando cuál coalición convence en el único escenario que aún queda.
El lunes, Fuerza Popular reveló el equipo técnico que acompañará a Keiko Fujimori en el debate presidencial del 31 de mayo contra Roberto Sánchez de Juntos por el Perú. El Jurado Nacional de Elecciones organizó el encuentro en seis segmentos temáticos, cada uno con un duelo directo entre especialistas de ambas campañas.
Fujimori presentó a la congresista Rosangella Barbarán en juventud y deportes; al abogado Carlos Neuhaus en infraestructura; al exgobernador regional Vladimiro Huaroc en reforma del Estado; al economista Marco Vinelli en agricultura y medio ambiente; al exministro Luis Martín Carranza en economía y empleo; y al médico José Francisco Recoba en salud. Cada uno enfrentará a su contraparte del equipo de Sánchez en intercambios diseñados para exponer ante los votantes las diferencias concretas entre ambos proyectos de gobierno.
Esta segunda vuelta llegó tras un extenuante conteo de cinco semanas. Sánchez superó a Rafael López Aliaga por apenas 21.210 votos; el exalcalde de Lima exigió una auditoría internacional y nuevas elecciones, pero no presentó evidencia que respaldara su impugnación.
Fujimori llega a este debate en circunstancias distintas a sus campañas anteriores. Su padre, Alberto Fujimori, falleció en septiembre de 2024. Su exesposo Mark Vito Vilanella ya no forma parte de su vida pública. Y el Tribunal Constitucional resolvió a su favor los cargos de lavado de dinero vinculados a financiamiento irregular en campañas pasadas, eliminando una vulnerabilidad que había pesado sobre su candidatura.
El debate en el Centro de Convenciones de Lima será el único momento en que los peruanos escuchen, frente a frente, cómo cada coalición propone gobernar el país. Para Fujimori, es su cuarta oportunidad de cruzar el umbral que tres veces antes no pudo traspasar.
Keiko Fujimori's Fuerza Popular party assembled its roster of six specialists on Monday, preparing for Sunday's televised debate against Roberto Sánchez of Juntos por el Perú—the final public argument before Peru votes in a runoff that will determine its next president. The National Electoral Jury released the lineups for both campaigns, organizing the confrontation into six thematic segments, each pairing a technical expert from one side against the other.
Fujimori's team reflects a mix of legislative experience, regional governance, and professional credentials. Congresswoman Rosangella Barbarán will defend positions on youth and sports. Carlos Neuhaus, a lawyer, takes infrastructure. Vladimiro Huaroc, a former regional president, will argue state reform. Marco Vinelli, an economist, covers agriculture and environment. Luis Martín Carranza, who served as a minister, handles economy and employment. José Francisco Recoba, a physician, represents health policy. Each will face their counterpart from Sánchez's coalition in head-to-head exchanges designed to let voters hear competing visions on the issues that matter most.
The matchups pit Huaroc against Sinesio López on state reform, Barbarán against Ernesto Zunini on youth and sport, Vinelli against César Guarniz on agriculture and environment, Neuhaus against Gustavo Guerra García on infrastructure, Carranza against Pedro Francke on economy and jobs, and Recoba against Hernando Cevallos on health. The debate takes place May 31 at Lima's Convention Center—the sole direct encounter between the two candidates before voters choose.
This runoff emerged after a grueling five-week count following the April election. Sánchez edged out Rafael López Aliaga, the former Lima mayor and Renovación Popular leader, by 21,210 votes. López Aliaga demanded an international audit and new elections but presented no substantive evidence to support his challenge. The result left Sánchez and Fujimori as the two finalists, setting up a contest between Juntos por el Perú and the party that has backed Fujimori through three previous presidential campaigns.
Fujimori enters this debate without the figures who shaped her previous runs. Her father, Alberto Fujimori, died in September 2024. Her American husband, Mark Vito Vilanella, whom she divorced in 2022, is no longer part of her public life. And in a significant legal reprieve, Peru's Constitutional Court ruled in her favor on money laundering charges related to irregular campaign financing in her earlier bids—clearing her of a trial that had hung over her candidacy. That decision removed a major vulnerability from the campaign narrative.
With this team and these circumstances, Fujimori will make her case to an electorate that has now twice chosen her as a finalist. The debate on Sunday will be the moment when Peruvians hear, directly and side by side, how each coalition proposes to govern the country's economy, its health system, its infrastructure, and its future.
Citas Notables
The National Electoral Jury published the list of specialists selected by each party to present proposals on six central policy areas— Electoral authority announcement
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Fujimori need a technical team at all? Why not just have her debate Sánchez directly on everything?
Because the electoral authority structures these debates thematically. Each side gets to field its best expert on each topic—economy, health, infrastructure, and so on. It's meant to raise the level of detail voters hear, not just campaign rhetoric.
And Fujimori herself won't be there?
She will be there, but she's not the one making the economic argument or the health argument. The specialists do that. It's a format that's become standard in Peru.
So these six people—Carranza, Recoba, the others—they're the real voices of her campaign on policy?
In this debate, yes. They're chosen because they have credentials in their fields. Carranza was a minister. Vinelli is an economist. They're not just party loyalists reading talking points.
What about the fact that she's running for president a fourth time? Does that matter to how people see her?
It matters enormously. Some voters see persistence; others see someone who won't accept defeat. And she's doing it without her father, who was a towering figure in her political identity. That's a different Fujimori than before.
The Constitutional Court cleared her of money laundering charges. That seems like a huge advantage going into this debate.
It removes a major line of attack. Her opponents can't point to an active trial or pending conviction. But it also came from a court decision, not from proving innocence in a traditional sense. Some Peruvians will see it as justice; others will see it as a technicality.