A Peruvian presidential hopeful died on March 15, 2026, in a car crash on a remote Andean road while traveling to a campaign rally, deepening concerns in a country eager for elections to end prolonged political instability.
Napoleón Becerra, 61, was killed when his vehicle left the road in the rural district of Pilpichaca, about 430 kilometers southeast of Lima. The leftist candidate for the Workers and Entrepreneurs Party of Peru was traveling to Ayacucho for campaign events ahead of the April 12 vote when the incident occurred.
Three passengers riding with Becerra were injured in the crash. Among those hurt were Senate hopeful Segundo Alberto Pizango and deputy candidate Monica Huayllane, party officials said.
Emely Silva, the party’s deputy candidate from Lima, confirmed the death after being informed by colleagues who accompanied the presidential candidate on the trip. “We were informed a few minutes ago about the accident by fellow party members who are in the area,” Silva told RPP. “They have notified us that our president has died.”
The crash happened on a dangerous section of the Vía Los Libertadores highway near Rumichaca. There were five people in the vehicle at the time, including the driver.
Mayor Balvín Huamaní told The Associated Press the vehicle went off the road in the remote district. Party representatives immediately appealed to authorities for help to evacuate the injured, provide medical care, and transport Becerra’s body to Huamanga, the capital of the Ayacucho region.
Winston Clemente Huaman, the party’s first vice-presidential candidate, was informed while campaigning in the Loreto region and urgently requested government assistance for the survivors. “There are also other injured people; we are extremely concerned,” Huaman said. “We call for assistance so they can be evacuated to Lima as soon as possible.”
Becerra was one of 36 candidates for the presidency in the April 12 election, though a recent poll showed he had below 1% support. Born in Cajamarca on April 11, 1964, he served for more than four decades in public roles, working at the Municipality of Lima from 1984 until 2025. He founded and led PTE-Peru from 2023, presenting the party as a voice for workers and entrepreneurs.
The incident arrives during a fraught period for Peru, a country worn down by political upheaval. José María Balcázar, an 83-year-old former judge, became interim president on February 18 after Congress voted 75-24 to remove his predecessor José Jerí, who had served just four months before being ousted in the “Chifagate” controversy over undisclosed late-night meetings with Chinese businessman Zhihua Yang.
Frequent leadership changes have marked Peruvian politics. The country has seen nine presidents in a decade, many of whom were removed, impeached, or pressured to resign amid corruption probes. Dina Boluarte, Jerí’s predecessor, was unanimously removed by Congress in October 2025 amid rising crime and public unrest. Earlier, Pedro Castillo was removed in 2022 after attempting to dissolve Congress and is now serving an 11-year prison term.
Becerra’s death is a significant setback for PTE-Peru’s electoral hopes. Under Peruvian election law, the death of a presidential candidate disqualifies the entire presidential ticket. The party can no longer compete for the presidency or vice presidency, though its Senate and Chamber of Deputies candidates remain on the ballot.
Adding to the logistical urgency, Peru’s national elections body, ONPE, had already begun printing nearly 28 million ballots before Becerra’s death, making it likely that his name and photo will still appear on the voting document. The JNE will also need to restructure the format of its presidential debate, as candidates were grouped and no replacements are permitted.
However, a legal dispute has since emerged. PTE-Peru founder Angélica Sayán López formally petitioned the JNE to be inserted as the new presidential candidate, arguing that Peruvian election law contains no specific provision for the death of a presidential candidate. The party’s first vice-presidential candidate called her request “irresponsible.” The Special Electoral Jury (JEE) Lima Centro 2 has since ordered the party to submit Becerra’s death certificate within one calendar day to determine the legal status of the candidacy formally. Becerra’s brother, Walter, has argued that the candidacy remains valid.
The fatal crash underscores the hazards candidates face while campaigning in Peru’s mountainous regions. Although Andean highways link remote communities to larger cities, they include perilous stretches where accidents are frequent. The Vía Los Libertadores runs through high-altitude passes and narrow roads cut into steep slopes, posing risks even to experienced drivers.
The crash site at Rumichaca, kilometer 183, is the same stretch where former comptroller Edgar Alarcón was killed in May 2024. Compounding the tragedy, the nearest health center had no ambulance of its own — Becerra arrived alive but died in transit, transported in a private vehicle because no emergency unit was available. Medical staff reported the center’s borrowed ambulance later broke down and had to be pushed.
Becerra had been actively campaigning across Peru’s interior in the weeks leading up to the March 15 crash. On March 12, he appeared at Lima’s Gamarra commercial district at an event with his Senate and deputy candidates, focusing on reaching voters in often-overlooked areas.
Peru’s crowded presidential field of 36 candidates highlights the country’s fragmented political scene. Conservative businessman Rafael López Aliaga leads many polls, with Keiko Fujimori—daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori—running second. If no candidate wins over 50% on April 12, a runoff is scheduled for June 7.