Roberto Sánchez (politician)
Peruvian politician
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Roberto Helbert Sánchez Palomino (born 3 February 1969) is a Peruvian psychologist and politician, member of the left-wing political party Together for Peru. He is a congressman of the Congress of the Republic of Peru for the period 2021-2026 and was Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism for Pedro Castillo from 29 July 2021 until his resignation on 7 December 2022.[1] He is also a presidential candidate in the 2026 general election.
Roberto Sánchez | |
|---|---|
Sánchez in 2024 | |
| President of Together for Peru | |
| Assumed office 1 October 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism | |
| In office 29 July 2021 – 7 December 2022 | |
| President | Pedro Castillo |
| Prime Minister | Guido Bellido Mirtha Vásquez Héctor Valer Aníbal Torres Betssy Chávez |
| Preceded by | Claudia Cornejo |
| Succeeded by | Luis Fernando Helguero |
| Member of Congress | |
| Assumed office 27 July 2021 | |
| Constituency | Lima |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Roberto Helbert Sánchez Palomino 3 February 1969 Huaral, Peru |
| Party | JP (since 2017) |
Other political affiliations | PHP (2006–2017) |
| Education | National University of San Marcos |
Biography
Sánchez was born in Huaral on 3 February 1969.[2] He is the son of a barber and a laundress, both of whom were born in the Andean regions of Apurímac and Ayacucho.[3]
As a teenager, he moved to Lima with the intention of becoming a priest, but later decided to study Psychology. He has mentioned that he was part of liberation theology pastoral groups and worked as a psychologist with HIV patients.[3]
He studied Psychology at the National University of San Marcos,[4] graduating in 1998 with a Bachelor's degree and a professional degree in 2000,[5] later becoming a psychotherapist for both individuals and groups.[6] Sánchez later earned a Master's degree in social policy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.[5]
Political career
In the 2006 general elections, Sánchez ran for congress for the Decentralist Concertation for Lima, without success, he obtained 1,259 votes.[7] In the 2006 regional and municipal elections, Sánchez was a candidate for mayor of Huaral for the Peruvian Humanist Party, but was unsuccessful in winning it.[8] In 2020, he was appointed manager of Social Development of the Provincial Municipality of Huaral.[4]
He was part of the Peruvian Humanist Party, later he joined Together for Peru, where he is the president as of 2022.[9][10] Some former leaders of Together for Peru criticized Sánchez for his ability to establish leadership in the party, including the party's founder Yehude Simon.[5]
Congressman and Minister
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In the 2021 general elections, he was elected congressman for the Republic of Peru with Together for Peru, with 29,827 votes, for the 2021–2026 parliamentary period.[11] On July 29, 2021, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism in the government of Pedro Castillo.[2] While serving as minister, he was criticized for personal expenses incurred for laundry and meals with public funds, though he registered these expenses as necessary for work meetings.[5]
Roberto Sánchez maintains ties with the Peruvian rural world due to his involvement in territorial development policies in historically marginalized areas. During his time in government, he promoted community-based tourism in order to generate economic benefits for rural families. In Congress, where he served after the fall of the government in December 2022, he supported policies aimed at decentralization and strengthening local economies.[12]
Sánchez was the only individual to serve throughout the entirety of Castillo's tenure.
Presidential candidacy
Sánchez ran for office to be the president of Peru in the 2026 Peruvian general election.[6] A defender of President Castillo, Sánchez said that the former president was a victim of a coup during the institutional crisis in 2022, promising to release Castillo from prison if elected.[6] He also proposes a constituent assembly to create a new constitution of Peru.[6] During his presidential campaign, Sánchez appeared at public events wearing a chotano hat that was given to him by Castillo when he visited the former president in prison.[13] At a court hearing shortly before the election, Castillo called on the public to vote for Sánchez.[13] Days before the election on 4 April 2026, La República reported that the chief of Opinion Studies at the Institute of Peruvian Studies, Patricia Zárate, observed that Sánchez was experiencing a similar growth in support in polls as Castillo did at the same period prior to the 2021 Peruvian general election.[14]
In the first round of the election, which began on 12 April 2026, Sánchez saw his position move from 6th place in the first few days of tabulation to 2nd place by 15 April. The slow increase of Sánchez's position in the presidential race occurred due to the rural support of Sánchez, which required longer times to gather data from remote areas. This support was seen as a vindication of Castillo by rural supporters who saw Congress obstructing the former president's mandate.[13]
Sánchez will compete against Keiko Fujimori in a runoff vote scheduled on 7 June.[15] He tapped Pedro Francke as his potential economic minister, a moderate economist who held positions with the Central Reserve Bank of Peru and the World Bank Group.[16] Francke said that a Sánchez government would respect the autonomy of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru and would not engage in nationalizations, saying that exisiting economic contracts would remain recognized.[17]
Political positions
A member of the left wing,[5] Sánchez supports universal access to education including university studies and increasing funding for education from 6% of GDP spending to 10%.[5] He has called for public policy to be implemented with support of scientific data.[5] On the economy, he has promoted formalizing the existing informal economy in Peru in order to provide a tax base for educational and local expenditures.[5]
Electoral history
| Year | Position | Party | Votes | Percentage | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Congressman for Lima | Decentralization Coalition | 1,259 | Not elected | |||
| 2006 | Mayor of Huaral |  Peruvian Humanist Party |
2,327 | 11th |
Not elected | ||
| 2020 | Congressman for Lima and Residents Abroad |  Together for Peru |
33,720 | Not Elected | |||
| 2021 | Congressman for Lima | Together for Peru |
29,825 | Elected | |||
| 2026 | President of Peru | Together for Peru |
To be determined | 1st place |
|||
| 2026 | Deputy for Lima | Together for Peru |
15,823 | Not Elected | |||
