Politician with unusual name wins mayoral race in Peru

On October 4, 2026, a 45-year-old candidate named Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores won the mayoral election in the small Andean district of Queropalca, located in the Lauricocha province of Peru. Running for the Ahora Nacion party, Flores secured 229 votes, representing 34.54% of the total, surpassing his closest challenger, Gaspar Benilde Osorio Zambrano of the Renovacion Popular Peru party, by only 25 votes. The electoral process saw 100% of ballots counted, and while the result has been announced, the candidate awaits official confirmation from the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE).

The name of the newly elected official has garnered significant international media attention due to its association with 20th-century dictators. This is not the first instance of a political figure in Peru bearing such a name; in 2011, a man named Hitler Alba was elected mayor of the town of Yungar, serving until 2014. The district of Queropalca, which has a population of approximately 730 people, remains under the focus of local electoral authorities as they prepare for the formal inauguration of the new municipal leadership following the certification of the final election results.