Latin America’s Far Right Gains Ground as Peru Extortion Jumps 5-Fold
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 17
Latin America’s Far Right Gains Ground as Peru Extortion Jumps 5-Fold
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 17
Summary
Conservative populists are gaining traction across Latin America by promising rapid crackdowns on crime and migration, after a leftward swing earlier this decade.
Peru’s extortion has risen fivefold in five years, while killings also climbed in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, even though the region’s average homicide rate fell more than 5% last year.
That insecurity has lifted candidates and leaders aligned with Nayib Bukele’s hard-line model, including Colombia’s Abelardo de la Espriella, Peru’s Keiko Fujimori, Chile’s José Antonio Kast and Honduras’ Nasry Asfura.
Chile’s crime fears helped return Kast to power after homicides rose 30% from 2021 to 2022 and kidnappings jumped nearly 180% in four years, with migrants often cast as a security threat.
Still, governing has blunted some campaign vows: Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa dropped floating-prison plans, and Kast has carried out only two deportation flights despite pledging to expel more than 300,000 undocumented migrants.
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Peru’s 2026 Security Emergency: Homicide Rates Double Amid Political Turmoil and Criminal Expansion
Overview
Peru is facing a deep security crisis marked by rising violence and institutional instability. Efforts by the Interagency Criminal Statistics Committee to improve homicide data highlight the urgency of the situation. Corruption has become a major factor in weakening the institutions meant to protect public safety, as shown by Peru’s sharp drop in the Corruption Perceptions Index. This widespread corruption not only undermines law and order but also makes it harder to address the country’s security challenges. Against this backdrop, Peru’s political landscape remains highly polarized, further complicating efforts to restore stability.