Rafael López Aliaga has taken first place in an Ipsos poll for Lima's mayoral race, according to Peruvian columnist Mirko Lauer, even as questions mount over the legality of his candidacy.
The poll, cited by Lauer in a column published August 10, 2026, shows López Aliaga leading with a modest but real percentage, ahead of Carlos Bruce, who placed second with 13%. All other candidates polled in single digits, Lauer wrote.
Asked about the legality of the candidacy, 20% of respondents said it was legal, 28% said it was illegal, and 40% described it as not serious, according to the poll figures Lauer cited. Even if López Aliaga wins, Lauer wrote, few would consider it a clean victory.
Lauer said López Aliaga is not the only contested candidate, noting that dozens of similar candidacies are underway across the country. He said most provinces lack polls reliable enough to identify a frontrunner in those races.
JNE under scrutiny
Lauer wrote that Roberto Burneo, president of Peru's National Elections Jury, known as the JNE, had effectively shrugged off the controversy, allowing López Aliaga's candidacy to proceed. A senator from the Renovación Popular party said the fault lay with the jury for letting itself be fooled, Lauer reported.
Lauer questioned whether the JNE's handling of the case reflected a prior agreement between López Aliaga and former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori ahead of a possible second round of voting, though he offered no evidence for the claim.
Record as mayor
Lauer wrote that López Aliaga left the mayoralty of Lima to run for another office, leaving the municipality deeply in debt and burdened with broken promises. He added that López Aliaga's successor managed the office far better than he had.
Lauer predicted that rival candidates would be unlikely to pursue costly legal battles against López Aliaga's candidacy given the low odds of success. He warned that the winners of such contested candidacies could form a lobby capable of blocking future changes to the electoral system.
