Peruvians Go To Polls On Fragmented Presidential Elections
LIMA, PERU - APRIL 11: A person casts a vote at a polling station on April 11, 2021 in Lima, Peru. Of a record number of 18 candidates, half a dozen could reach the likely second round run-off according to late surveys. The election takes place amid an economic and social crisis pushed by coronavirus pandemic and a political turmoil that has been hitting the Andean country in the last years. Photo by Angela Ponce/Getty Images

Peru has been taken over by populism during the ongoing pandemic, as a far-left activist won the first round of the presidential election on Sunday.

Pedro Castillo, a far-left school teacher caught the wave of popular discontent over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and a plummeting economy of Peru.

Castillo will be facing Keiko Fujimori, the leader of the right-wing Popular Force. She is the far-right heiress to one of the most controversial political dynasties of Peru.

The union leader of veteran teachers took the polls by surprise in the first round of voting on Sunday after winning 18.47%. In the second spot is Keiko Fujimori, who is the daughter of the jailed ex-leader Alberto Fujimori, with 13.12%.

This is despite being largely unknown before polling day. Castillo stunned the country by sweeping the votes of poorer regions in Peru. The far-left school teacher won 16 of 24 regions of Peru and had a 50% margin in two of the poorest Andean states.

According to Financial Times, Castillo shouted in front of his supporters from a balcony in his hometown in Tacabamba in the highland Cajamarca region, the blindfold has just been taken off the eyes of the people of Peru.

Despite the elections being compulsory, almost one-third of the population abstained from voting, while at least 17% of the votes were considered invalid. In a statement Wilson Center's Latin America program director Cynthia Arnson stated that the number of those who cast blank ballots was more than those who voted for Castillo, who won the top spot.

'Barely a Competitor'

Before the late stages of the campaign, Castillo was barely a competitor and ranked low in opinion polls. He was known to be the leader of a teacher's strike back in 2017 that lasted quite a long period of time, The Guardian reported.

Castillo advocates for widespread nationalism. He is also calling to renegotiate trade treaties which have caused widespread alarm among the people. Many were still awed at the results of the polls.

Election Cycle in Latin America

At the moment, Latin America is going through an election cycle. By October of this year, seven major nations will be holding their midterm and presidential elections. Many voters have seen this as an opportunity to move against a political class that they believe has failed, AS/COA reported.

According to the World Bank, Latin America has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic the worst, both in economy and the health sector. The pandemic also heightened the severe problems of the countries such as their income inequalities, the lack of good public service, and uncompetitive economy.

On Sunday, Ecuador also held its elections and the people elected Guillermo Lasso into office, with a promise of reviving their economy. Lasso is a former banker and self-made millionaire.

However, like in Peru, Lasso is not supported by a congressional majority which is another challenge in governance.

After the elections in Ecuador and Peru, Chile would follow in mid-May when they will choose delegates in drafting their new constitution.

WATCH: Peru votes in ‘most fragmented elections in history’ - Al Jazeera English