We will talk with everyone, but vote always for Peru's interests
As Peru moves toward a June 7 presidential runoff between two figures long associated with the country's deepest political divisions, a third voice has chosen to step aside rather than choose. Jorge Nieto and his party, Buen Gobierno, announced they will cast blank votes, refusing to validate either Keiko Fujimori or Roberto Sánchez as a genuine break from the polarization that has defined Peruvian democracy for decades. Their abstention is not withdrawal, however — it is a declaration of intent to occupy a principled space in Congress, where they believe the more durable work of governance must be done.
- With both runoff candidates seen as symbols of entrenched division, Buen Gobierno refuses to lend its voice to either side, casting blank votes as a deliberate act of political conscience.
- A potential dialogue with Sánchez never materialized, and an invitation from López Aliaga collapsed when his fraud claims produced no evidence — leaving Buen Gobierno diplomatically open but unattached.
- The party is meeting weekly to build a legislative agenda grounded in its campaign platform, preparing to engage every political actor in Congress without surrendering its independence.
- Nieto draws a hard line: responsible opposition means negotiating in good faith, but never through backroom deals, corrupt pacts, or arrangements that betray the public interest.
On Saturday, Jorge Nieto positioned Buen Gobierno as a force deliberately outside Peru's traditional political machinery. Standing before reporters, he announced that his party would cast blank votes in the June 7 runoff, finding neither Keiko Fujimori nor Roberto Sánchez an acceptable choice — both, in the party's view, represent the same polarizing patterns that have long fractured Peruvian politics.
The party was not without overtures. Sánchez had called Nieto to explore cooperation, though scheduling conflicts kept the conversation from happening. Nieto left the door open, insisting dialogue remained possible as long as Peru's interests came first. A public invitation from Rafael López Aliaga went nowhere after Nieto challenged him to substantiate his fraud allegations and nothing emerged.
The real focus, Nieto made clear, was Congress. Buen Gobierno's delegations in both chambers are developing a legislative agenda built on their campaign platform, and the party intends to meet with political actors across the spectrum. But the terms were firm: they would serve as opposition to whoever wins, vote in favor of Peruvian interests without exception, and refuse any corrupt or backroom arrangement — as they had throughout the campaign.
In a landscape defined by polarization, Buen Gobierno is staking its identity on a third path — willing to engage, unwilling to collude, and committed to the idea that principled negotiation is not the same as capitulation.
Jorge Nieto stood before reporters on Saturday with a message that positioned his party, Buen Gobierno, as a force apart from Peru's traditional political machinery. The former presidential candidate announced that his party would cast blank votes in the June 7 runoff election, rejecting both remaining candidates—Keiko Fujimori of Fuerza Popular and Roberto Sánchez of Juntos por el Perú—as perpetuations of the country's entrenched political polarization.
Nieto explained that Buen Gobierno found neither option acceptable. Both candidates, in the party's view, represented a continuation of the divisive patterns that have long characterized Peruvian politics. Rather than choose between them, the party would abstain from the presidential choice itself, a symbolic gesture of refusal that underscored their distance from the two-person race.
Yet the party was not entirely closed to dialogue. Nieto disclosed that Sánchez had called him days earlier to discuss potential cooperation. The conversation never took place—scheduling conflicts on both sides prevented it—but Nieto left the door open. "Each person knows who they are, each person knows what they think, and that doesn't mean we can't talk at any moment, as long as Peru's interests come first," he said. He also addressed a public invitation from Rafael López Aliaga, another former candidate from Renovación Popular, who had been making unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud at rallies across Lima. Nieto said he had challenged López Aliaga to produce concrete evidence. When none materialized, there was nothing to discuss.
The real work, Nieto suggested, lay ahead in Congress. Buen Gobierno was holding weekly meetings to develop a legislative agenda rooted in the platform the party had campaigned on. The party's congressional delegation—in both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies—would meet with political actors across the spectrum to forge agreements that served Peruvian interests. But there was a line they would not cross.
"We will be opposition to whoever is elected, and we will be responsible opposition," Nieto stated. "We will talk and converse with everyone without exception, but we will always vote in favor of Peruvian interests." He was emphatic about what they would refuse: backroom deals, corrupt pacts, and mafia-style arrangements. These were things Buen Gobierno had rejected throughout the campaign and would continue to reject in Congress.
The positioning reflected a calculated strategy—neither fully aligned with the incoming government nor locked into reflexive antagonism. Nieto framed his party as a serious alternative, willing to engage but unwilling to compromise on principle. In a political landscape fractured by polarization, Buen Gobierno was staking a claim as the responsible middle ground, a force that would negotiate but not capitulate, cooperate but not collude.
Notable Quotes
We will be opposition to whoever is elected, and we will be responsible opposition. We will talk and converse with everyone without exception, but we will always vote in favor of Peruvian interests.— Jorge Nieto, Buen Gobierno
Each person knows who they are, each person knows what they think, and that doesn't mean we can't talk at any moment, as long as Peru's interests come first.— Jorge Nieto, on potential dialogue with Sánchez
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why cast blank votes instead of choosing one of the two candidates?
Because Buen Gobierno sees both as symptoms of the same disease—polarization. A blank vote says we reject the false choice itself, not just the candidates.
But doesn't that risk irrelevance? If you're not in the runoff, how do you shape what comes next?
That's where Congress matters. We'll have seats there. We can build coalitions, push our agenda, and hold whoever wins accountable without being trapped in their machinery.
Sánchez called you. Why didn't you take the meeting?
We tried. Schedules didn't align. But more importantly, we're not negotiating our position before the election. We'll talk to anyone after, but on our terms.
What does "responsible opposition" actually mean in practice?
It means we vote for what's right for Peru, not against the government just to be against it. We'll work with them on good policy and fight them on bad policy. No hidden deals.
López Aliaga wanted to discuss fraud claims. Why shut that down?
Because he had no evidence. We asked for proof. He had none. You can't build a serious conversation on speculation.
What's your real fear about both candidates?
That Peru stays trapped in the same cycle. Fujimori and Sánchez represent the old divisions. We're trying to break that pattern, even if it means sitting out the presidential race.