2025 Peruvian Aprista Party presidential primary
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30 November 2025
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On 30 November 2025, members of the Peruvian Aprista Party chose a presidential ticket for the 2026 presidential election.[1][2]
Of all the 39 political organizations (including electoral alliances) participating of the general election, only the Peruvian Aprista Party and Popular Renewal opted for direct election of nominees for President, Vice President, Senators, and members of Chamber of Deputies. The rest used the indirect method through delegates.[3]
In the primary election held on 30 November 2025 contested by a record of 14 candidates, party newcomer Enrique Valderrama narrowly secured the party’s presidential nomination, receiving 3,779 votes (25.80%), a lead of 198 votes over former Prime Minister Javier Velásquez, who obtained 3,581 votes (24.50%) and followed by another former Prime Minister, Jorge del Castillo with 3,402 votes (23.28%).[4][5] Another former cabinet minister, Hernán Garrido Lecca, placed fourth in the primary, obtaining 2,370 votes (16.22%); other minor candidates obtained less than 400 votes.[6]
The result was widely regarded by outside observers as a major upset, as several more experienced contenders had been considered the favourites due to their longer political trajectories and established internal alliances.[7][8]
After decades as one of Peru’s oldest and historically significant political parties, the Peruvian Aprista Party (APRA) entered a period of decline in the 2010s and early 2020s. Following the 2016 general election, in which longtime leader Alan García finished fifth and subsequently resigned as party president, the party struggled to maintain electoral relevance and internal cohesion. APRA’s performance continued to falter in the 2020 congressional snap election, where it received only about 2.7 % of the vote—failing to surpass the electoral threshold required for congressional representation after 25 years of continuous presence in the legislature.[9]
For the 2021 general election, APRA initially nominated Nidia Vílchez as its presidential candidate. However, after the Special Electoral Jury (JEE) rejected the party’s congressional lists, the party withdrew Vílchez’s candidacy and ultimately did not participate in the election.[10][11][12] This absence from the ballot lost the party's official registration with the National Jury of Elections (JNE), a situation that echoed challenges faced by other parties that failed to meet participation and vote-share requirements.
The death of García by suicide in April 2019 removed a central figure in APRA’s leadership and accelerated efforts by various factions within the party to assert control. In the years that followed, the party experienced internal disputes and organizational setbacks, including the removal of thousands of registered members from the party roster due to procedural irregularities related to its legal representation before the JNE.[13] These developments highlighted ongoing struggles within APRA over leadership and the party’s direction ahead of the 2026 general election.
