Peru Election 2026: Candidate and Journalist Susy Aponte Polo Shot Dead
Key Facts
Susy Isabel Aponte Polo, a Peruvian journalist, was shot dead on Saturday 19 September while campaigning at a market in Caraz. She was 43 and a candidate for regional governor of Áncash.
The killing came two weeks before Peru’s regional and municipal elections on 4 October 2026. She had said publicly that an attack had been ordered against her, and police captured a foreign man with a firearm.
The Killing in Caraz
Aponte Polo, widely known as ‘La China’ Polo, was at the Caraz market on Avenida Ramón Castilla, near a Caja Huancayo branch. She was handing out campaign material when armed men approached and opened fire, according to police reports cited by La República.
She was taken to Hospital San Juan de Dios de Caraz, where doctors confirmed her death from gunshot wounds. One shot is reported to have struck her head, according to Expreso and Infobae.
Several police and press accounts describe the attack as a contract killing, known in Peru as sicariato. No court has yet made any finding on the motive or on who ordered the attack.
A Journalist Who Reported on Police Corruption
Aponte Polo worked as a journalist and broadcaster in Áncash, a mountain region north of Lima. Servindi, a Peruvian news outlet, said she was known as La China Polo for a podcast exposing corruption inside the National Police.
She was running for the regional government for the Movimiento Independiente Regional Socios por Áncash, a local political movement. Regional and municipal elections are due on Sunday 4 October, La República reported.
The Warning She Made Public
Shortly before she was killed, Aponte Polo said publicly that an attack had been ordered against her, Infobae reported. The site said she had denounced death threats linked to her political and journalistic work.
Her warning, followed by her death, has turned a local crime into a national question about the safety of candidates and reporters. It came in the final stretch of the campaign, with voting two weeks away.
Suspect Detained and Femicide Inquiry
The National Police of Peru said it captured a Venezuelan citizen as the suspected author of the shooting. La República named him as Luis Iván Obispo Díaz, and reported he was detained in Caraz with a firearm.
Peru’s public prosecutor’s office said its specialised unit on violence against women and family members in Huaylas opened a preliminary investigation for femicide. Trome and Exitosa Noticias both reported the femicide line of inquiry.
No charge, trial date or ruling has been announced. Under Peruvian law the suspect is presumed innocent until a court decides otherwise.
Electoral Bodies and Press Groups React
The National Elections Jury (JNE), which oversees Peruvian elections, condemned the killing in a statement on its official channels. The National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), which runs the vote, also condemned it, according to Exitosa Noticias.
Both bodies called for the crime to be solved and expressed solidarity with her family and her movement. Exitosa Noticias reported both statements.
The Consejo de la Prensa Peruana, a press freedom body, demanded a thorough investigation. It said the motives of the killing must be clarified, Infobae reported.
Elsewhere in Peru
José Ángelo Tangherlini Casal was sworn in as Peru’s minister of transport and communications, replacing Rafael Rey. Rey resigned on 18 September for health reasons, El Peruano reported, in the first cabinet departure since President Keiko Fujimori took office.
In Cusco, 16 tourists were injured on Saturday 19 September in a head-on crash between a van and a minivan. It happened on the Cusco–Urcos road at Saylla, RPP reported.
The injured were heading to the Rainbow Mountain site and came from Britain, Spain, Lithuania, Germany and Ireland. They were taken to Clínica Peruano Suiza, according to RPP.
Why It Matters Beyond Áncash
The 4 October elections will choose regional governors and mayors across Peru. They are the first national test for President Keiko Fujimori’s government, which took office on 28 July.
Áncash matters beyond its size because it hosts Antamina, one of the world’s largest copper and zinc mines. Its regional government manages a large share of the mining royalties that flow to local budgets.
A candidate’s killing two weeks before the vote puts pressure on the police and electoral authorities in the final days of the campaign. It also tests whether threats made in public are taken seriously before they are carried out.
For foreign readers, the case shows the risks that local candidates and journalists face in parts of Peru. How quickly investigators identify who ordered the attack will be the measure of the response.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Susy ‘La China’ Polo?
She was a 43-year-old Peruvian journalist and broadcaster in Áncash, known for reporting on police corruption. She was a candidate for regional governor of Áncash for the regional group Socios por Áncash.
What happened in Caraz?
She was shot at about 12:40 on Saturday 19 September while campaigning at the Caraz market in Huaylas province. She was taken to Hospital San Juan de Dios de Caraz, where her death was confirmed.
Has anyone been arrested?
Police captured a Venezuelan man with a firearm, named in local reports as Luis Iván Obispo Díaz. No court has made a finding, and he is presumed innocent.
When are Peru’s regional elections?
Regional and municipal elections are due on 4 October 2026, according to La República. The killing took place two weeks before the vote.
What did she say before her death?
She said publicly that an attack had been ordered against her, Infobae reported. She had denounced death threats linked to her political and journalistic work.
Sources: Infobae: journalist and candidate killed during campaign in Caraz, Infobae: who she was and her death threats, La República: killing of Susy Aponte in Áncash, Infobae: suspect captured with a firearm, Trome: case investigated as suspected femicide, Exitosa Noticias: JNE and ONPE condemn the killing, RPP: 16 tourists injured in Cusco crash
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