Peru Smashes Politician Piñatas to Ring in the New Year

Peruvians will bring in the New Year late on Thursday by smashing piñatas of politicians to express their discontent the country’s ruling political elite and lack of promising electoral alternative ahead of the 2016 general election.

High-selling piñata favorites include figures of President Ollanta Humala, whose disapproval ratings hit 85 percent this year according to GFK polls, as well as his wife Nadine Heredia.

Men sell effigies of first lady Nadine Heredia in a market in Lima, Peru, Dec. 30, 2015. | Photo: Reuters

Peruvians are also keen to smash piñatas representing presidential front-runners Alan Garcia, two-time president from 1985 to 1990 and 2006 to 2011, Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the former dictator Alberto Fujimori, and Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, economic and former Prime Minister from 2005 to 2006 under former President Alejandro Toledo, yet another presidential candidate.

“The politicians always make promises to us,” piñata vendor Judith Arivilca told EFE. “They never fulfill them and the people remain the same.”

Arivilca said that people will bust the piñatas as a way to express their anger over the political situation in the South American country, putting particular blame on Humala for allowing insecurity to spiral out of control.

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Aside from politicians, other popular piñata figures this year include former Peruvian Football Federation President Manuel Burga, who has been embroiled in the massive FIFA corruption scandal.

People carry effigies of former President of the Peruvian Football Federation Manuel Burga (R) and Yahaira, a dancer and girlfriend of Peru's soccer player Jefferson Farfan, in a market in Lima, Peru, Dec. 30, 2015. | Photo: Reuters

Peruvians fill the masked cardboard piñatas with confetti and party trinkets after buying the figures for about US$3.

As the clock turns over at midnight, Peruvians will carry out the customary smashing of the piñatas to ring in the new year.

Peru’s general elections are scheduled for April 2016. President Humala is barred from running due to legal limits on consecutive presidential terms, but many of his favored fellow piñatas will be in the running for president.

WATCH: Peru in 2015