Condolences from other candidates
Lima, Mar 15 (EFE).-
Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, one of 36 aspirants in the upcoming general elections in April, has died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event in the south of the country, sources from his party and official media reported on Sunday.
Becerra, 67, leader of the leftist Workers and Entrepreneurs Party (PTE-Perú), died in an accident on the Vía de los Libertadores highway in the Huancavelica region while traveling to the neighboring Ayacucho region. This information was shared by Emely Silva, the deputy candidate for Lima and party spokesperson, in an interview with RPP radio station.
“We were informed a few minutes ago about the accident by colleagues who are in the area and were traveling with him. They notified us that our president (Napoleón Becerra) has died,” Silva said.
The PTE-Perú currently registers in the “other” category in voter intention polls, with less than 1% of citizens’ preference.
According to official media outlets such as the newspaper El Peruano, the Andina Agency, and the TV Perú network, the candidate was traveling in a private vehicle toward Ayacucho, a city in the Andes located more than 550 kilometers (340 miles) south of Lima, to continue his campaign when the accident occurred.
RPP specified that the accident occurred at kilometer 183 (mile 113) of the Vía de los Libertadores within the jurisdiction of Huaytará in the region of Huancavelica.
The media outlet indicated that the mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, Balvín Huamaní, reported that the candidate was traveling in a pickup truck that fell into a ditch alongside the road for reasons not yet specified.
According to the radio station, Becerra was taken to a nearby medical center but died from his injuries. Three other people in the same vehicle were injured, two of them seriously, and have been transferred to the city of Ayacucho.
Condolences from other candidates
Upon learning the news, other presidential candidates such as Marisol Pérez Tello of the center-right Primero la Gente party, expressed their condolences to Becerra’s family and party members by reposting a condolence message from the party on X.
The centrist candidate Jorge Nieto, from the Partido del Buen Gobierno, also stated that he “deeply regrets” the event, as did the businessman and right-wing politician César Acuña, from the Alianza para el Progreso party.
“In moments like this, Peru must unite with respect and solidarity,” Acuña posted on his X account.
The leftist candidate Alfonso López Chau, from the Ahora Nación party, affirmed that Becerra was his friend, as they had been involved in political groups since the 1980s. López Chau also expressed his “solidarity with Becerra’s family, friends, and all those who shared his commitment to Peru.”
Peru’s general elections are scheduled for April 12. The elections will determine the national authorities for the 2026–2031 period. These authorities include the president, two vice presidents, a congress with 130 deputies, a senate with 60 members, and five representatives for the Andean Parliament.
If no presidential candidate receives more than half of the votes, a second-round runoff between the two candidates with the most votes will be held on June 7. EFE
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