Peru Priest Tells Voters Not to Back ‘the Same Scoundrels’ Before 4 October Local Vote
POLITICS · PERU
Key Facts
- —The country Peru holds regional and municipal elections on Sunday 4 October 2026. About 26.3 million people are registered to vote, according to the electoral body ONPE.
- —What happened A parish priest in Sapallanga, in the Junín region, told worshippers at a livestreamed Mass not to vote “for the same scoundrels as always”, outlets reported on 30 September 2026.
- —Who is involved Father Enrique Campos Camasca, parish priest of San Pedro de Sapallanga, in Huancayo province. He named no candidate or party, RPP and El Comercio reported.
- —What it means for you Sunday’s vote fills 13,148 local posts, from regional governors to district councillors (ONPE, 2026). It does not change the national government.
- —Still open The date of the Mass has not been published. No response from church or electoral authorities had been reported by 30 September.
A Peru priest has told his congregation not to vote for “the same scoundrels as always” in Sunday’s local elections. Father Enrique Campos Camasca spoke during a Mass in Sapallanga, a district of Huancayo province in the central Andes.
The sermon was broadcast live on the parish’s Facebook page, Infobae reported on 30 September 2026. RPP, El Comercio and the weekly Caretas carried the same remarks the same day.
What the Peru priest said from the pulpit
“Don’t vote for the same scoundrels as always,” Campos said, using the Spanish word sinvergüenzas. “Let us not vote for the same people who keep damaging our land, our country.”
He urged voters to back candidates who “love their land”, adding that “you know them”. He tied that choice to honesty and respect for local customs and faith.
Much of the sermon was about vote-buying. “Let us not be bought with a little present, a little gift, a promise. Never,” he said, according to Infobae.
He also told worshippers to own their choice. “Then don’t go around complaining when you voted,” he said, promising to ask on 11 October whether the winners deserved it.
What Peru votes on this Sunday
This is a subnational election, so no president or member of Congress is on the ballot. Voters fill 13,148 posts, ONPE said in figures published by the official gazette El Peruano.
They include 25 regional governors, 196 provincial mayors and 1,696 district mayors. The largest group is 9,118 district councillors, in places like Sapallanga.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. on Sunday, according to ONPE figures cited by Infobae. In Lima, one race has a clear poll leader: Peru Poll: Former Mayor López Aliaga Leads Race to Run Lima by 12 Points.
Vote-buying is already on the watch list
The priest’s warning about gifts echoes the official agenda. Peru’s public prosecution service lists vote-buying first among the electoral crimes it will watch for, as reported in Peru Election Prosecutors Top 6,800 for the 4 October Local Vote.
The service says more than 6,800 prosecutors will be on duty across the country. Observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) will also watch the vote, as detailed in OAS Observers Cleared to Watch Peru’s 4 October Local Elections.
A pulpit message without a name
Campos did not name a candidate, a party or a sitting official, RPP, El Comercio and Caretas reported. His appeal was general: vote freely, reject gifts and judge candidates on their record.
The Catholic Church still carries weight in Peru. Pope Leo XIV, a former bishop of Chiclayo in northern Peru, is due to visit from 11 to 16 November, Infobae reported.
What Is Not Yet Known
Reports do not say on which day the Mass was held, only that it came before Sunday’s vote. No reaction from the Archdiocese of Huancayo or the electoral authorities had been reported by 30 September.
It is also unclear which local officials the Peru priest had in mind. Results for Sapallanga and Junín will come from ONPE’s count after polls close on 4 October.
Sources: Infobae, 30 September 2026; RPP Noticias, 30 September 2026; El Comercio, 30 September 2026; Caretas, 30 September 2026; ONPE figures via El Peruano, 3 July 2026; Infobae, papal agenda, 21 September 2026.
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