A 45-year-old candidate running on a center-left ticket has won a closely contested mayoral race in the Andean district of Queropalca, Peru, securing office despite a name that pairs two of the 20th century’s most notorious dictators.
The municipal election in the high-altitude district of Queropalca, located in the province of Lauricocha within the central Peruvian region of Huánuco, delivered a result that immediately drew international headlines. The victor, Hitler Mussolini Simeón Flores, secured the mayoralty by a razor-thin margin in a contest where local candidates were separated by mere dozens of ballots.
How Hitler Mussolini Simeón Flores Won Queropalca
According to official results published by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), Hitler Mussolini Simeón Flores ran as the candidate for the center-left political formation Ahora Nación. He captured 229 votes, translating to 34.54% of all valid ballots cast in the October 4, 2026, regional and municipal elections.
The race proved to be a nail-biter in the mountain district. Just 25 votes separated the winning candidate from his closest challenger, Gaspar Benilde Osorio Zambrano of the Renovación Popular Perú party, who finished second with 204 votes or 30.77%. Itala Yovana Santillán Vara of the Partido País Para Todos placed third with 187 votes, or 28.21%. In total, only 42 votes separated the top three contenders across the district.
The Political Platform and Background of Ahora Nación’s Candidate
While the full name of the newly elected official instantly triggered global attention and social media fascination due to its historical references to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, local reporting clarified that the naming choice reflects a regional naming custom rather than any ideological alignment with European fascism. The winning candidate’s political alignment sits firmly elsewhere.
His party, Ahora Nación, is a center-left movement established in 2023 by economist Alfonso López-Chau. The platform centers on social justice, decentralization, and the defense of multiculturalism. Born in Queropalca on August 6, 1981, the 45-year-old mayor-elect also heads the Simeon Sac Investment Group, according to his official candidate profile.
Precedents in Peruvian Politics and Beyond
The municipality of Queropalca, which holds an estimated population of just over 730 residents, is not the first in Peru to encounter an election featuring candidates bearing controversial historical names. In 2018, an electoral clash in the Andean district of Yúngar pitted a candidate named Hitler Gexclán Alba Sánchez against an opponent named Lenin Vladimir Rodríguez Valverde. During that campaign, the victor attempted to distance himself from the historical connotations by telling local media, I am the good Hitler
.
A similar political phenomenon exists outside South America. In Namibia, a local politician named Adolf Hitler Uunona has secured repeated electoral victories in regional votes, explaining in past interviews that the moniker felt entirely ordinary during his childhood years.
