Laura Arroyo on La Base América Latina. Photo: Diario Red.
Laura Arroyo, a Peruvian journalist and political analyst, warns that the recent elections in Peru left worrying signs, even within the electoral organization itself. The unprecedented extension of voting hours at some polling stations, due to failures in the distribution of electoral materials, opened a flank of uncertainty that was quickly exploited by right-wing sectors to question the process.
Although the number of votes involved is limited, the episode cannot be interpreted in isolation. Arroyo emphasizes that the narrative of fraud had been circulating for days before the election as part of a recurring political strategy to delegitimize results when they do not favor certain interests. These discourses, far from being spontaneous, are part of a struggle over the meaning of the democratic process.
“Pedro Castillo remains key to understanding the current moment, not only as a precedent, but as an active symbol of a dispute that remains open,” said the Peruvian journalist and political analyst.
Voting as a response to an unresolved conflict
Beyond the specific irregularities, the election reflects a deeper political fracture that has plagued the country for years. For Arroyo, Pedro Castillo remains a key figure in understanding the current moment, not only as a precedent but also as an active symbol of a dispute that continues unabated.
Far from fading away, his figure continues to articulate a protest vote that combines rejection of the political system, remembrance of the process that brought him to power, and a demand for justice in the face of what broad sectors consider a democratic breakdown. In this sense, the vote does not merely express electoral preferences, but rather functions as a response mechanism to an unresolved political conflict.
A left wing that fails to read the political moment
One of the main problems, Arroyo points out, is the difficulty certain sectors of the left have in interpreting the new political landscape. The traditional left-right axis is insufficient to explain a reality where the main confrontation is between a political system under scrutiny and broad social sectors that feel excluded from it.
This disconnect translates into proposals that fail to resonate with the current social mood, which is characterized by indignation, distrust, and demands for structural change. According to the analyst, clinging to traditional interpretive frameworks prevents the construction of a political alternative capable of channeling this pent-up social energy.
“In Peru, elections no longer guarantee effective political representation; the uncertainty surrounding the duration of the next government is just another manifestation of a structural instability that has become constant,” stated Laura Arroyo.
Fujimorism as a persistent structure
The influence of Fujimorism continues to be decisive in shaping the Peruvian political landscape. Arroyo warns that its influence depends not only on figures like Keiko Fujimori, but also on a deeper structure that has been consolidated over decades.
This legacy includes not only a neoliberal economic model, but also a way of understanding politics and society based on individualism, meritocracy, and distrust of the collective. This ideological framework has permeated broad sectors of society, allowing Fujimorism to remain relevant despite its electoral defeats.
Real power, Arroyo argues, is not defined solely at the ballot box, but rather in a network of political, economic, and institutional actors that operate outside of citizen control. Thus, democracy loses its decision-making capacity and becomes a limited procedure.
Elections in Peru: Extreme Fragmentation and the Weight of Parliamentary Control
A democracy in permanent crisis
The final diagnosis is unequivocal. For Arroyo, Peru is experiencing a crisis in which elections are no longer a sufficient mechanism to guarantee effective political representation. The uncertainty surrounding the duration of the next government is just one more manifestation of a structural instability that has become constant.
Real power, she argues, is not defined solely at the ballot box, but rather within a network of political, economic, and institutional actors operating outside of citizen control. In this context, democracy loses its capacity for decision-making and becomes a limited procedure.
The warning is clear: as long as the structure that sustains this system—including the current Constitution—is not transformed, elections will continue to function more as a reflection of the crisis than as a way to resolve it.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
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