Peru Presidential Hopeful Banned, Supporters Camp in Protest

Presidential hopeful Julio Guzman from the “All for Peru” party is camping outside the National Jury of Elections in the capital Lima to protest the ruling that has prevented him to run for president, even as he currently ranks second in the polls.

Guzman is not alone. Hundreds of his followers have accompanied him since last night in tents that have been placed in front of the building. The court had just delivered its final verdict.

"I am not a candidate of nationalism. We will fight against corruption and I will not be distracted from the campaign," he said, speaking to the media. "We are on alert to defend the right of Peruvians to vote."

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Meanwhile, his attorney has said they will appeal the decision. The court has ruled that Guzman, a technocrat and self-dubbed "outsider," failed to fulfill a series of requirements when registering his party. Guzman is conducting a campaign to win votes on April 10, which would give him a shot at challenging frontrunner Keiko Fujimori in a likely June runoff.

But Guzman is not the only candidate who’s on the verge of disqualification. The wealthy former Governor Cesar Acuña could also be barred from elections if a university in Spain verifies plagiarism allegations against him. The university is still investigating.

Fujimori, the daughter of jailed dictator Alberto Fujimori, has drawn about one-third of voter intent for several months, doubling her closest rivals, but far from the 50 percent needed for an outright first round victory. However, if Acuña is disqualified she could have clear path to victory.