For the third time in a row, Cesar Acuna will seek the presidency. He will not go alone: Alejandro Sotoformer president of Congress, will join his presidential team as vice president. In that same formula they appear as accessory Marisol Espinoza and Cesar Vasquez. Meanwhile, other former ministers return to the political scene with a view to the Senate.
The Republic conducted a brief review and confirmed that six figures with a political past are now returning to the race with the APEP party, three of them linked to the Government of Dina Boluarte.
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From the Boluarte Government to APP
The closeness between Acuña and Boluarte was always evident. Before parliamentary consensus forced them to support the vacancy, APP was one of the former president’s main supporters. It is not surprising, therefore, that several of his former ministers have seen in Acuña’s party an opportunity to try for a seat in the Senate. César Vásquez, César Sandoval and Juan José Santiváñez are called to occupy a place within the APEP bench in the Upper House of the next Congress.
During his tenure as Minister of the Interior, Juan José Santiváñez He faced accusations of leading a corruption network that would have mobilized police units to favor a mining businessman in Ayacucho, in exchange for payments that, according to protected witnesses, would exceed $160,000. The Prosecutor’s Office continues investigations for crimes such as incompatible negotiation, influence peddling, cover-up and abuse of authority: it totals at least twelve investigations, among them for the irregular use of police in mining operations and for alleged interference in courts.
Also former Minister of Justice recorded conversations with PNP captain Junior Izquierdoknown as ‘Culebra’. In the audios, validated by tax experts, Santiváñez is heard stating that President Dina Boluarte had asked him to close the Diviac unit and that an official vehicle—“El Cofre”—was used to facilitate the exit of the fugitive Vladimir Cerrón. Despite the controversies, Santiváñez appears as a guest on the APP list for the Senate, without having to go through internal elections, waiting to be assigned a space in the campaign that has already begun.
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During his time at the Ministry of Health (MINSA), Cesar Vasquez was harshly questioned by the case of the defective physiological serum from the Medifarma SA laboratory, which caused at least five deaths and led to a motion for interpellation in Congress. In addition, he was denounced for allegedly using his position to carry out an early election campaign, which raised suspicions of proselytizing with public resources. Vásquez, in a particular scenario, could even become president of Peru. The former Minister of Health appears as an accessory in the APP presidential plan. In addition, he will run as a pre-candidate for the Senate.
After his appointment as head of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC), Cesar Sandoval accumulated controversies. Congress presented an interpellation motion against him for questioned awards, such as that of the Boca del Río–Tacna highway, awarded to a Chinese company with a problematic history. In addition, he faced a complaint of gender violence filed by his ex-wife. Now, Sandoval is running for the Senate representing the department of La Libertad.
Past in Congress
Not only former ministers will seek a place in the next Parliament, but also current and former congressmen. Marisol Espinozaformer vice president during the Government of Ollanta Humala and former nationalist congressman, is one of them. Since his time in nationalism, he has established himself within APP as one of the most visible figures. He runs for the Senate and, in addition, integrates the presidential ticket as an accessory. Espinoza could “repeat the plate” in both the Executive and the Legislative.
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Current APP congressmen are also among those seeking to continue in Parliament. Alejandro Sotoformer president of Congress, is one of them. The current legislator was declared civilly liable in the first instance by a Cusco court in a fraud case, having to pay approximately S/400,000 after selling land acquired for US$5,000 for US$265,000 and charging for a professional service that he never provided. The criminal investigation expired thanks to the so-called “Soto Law.” The parliamentarian is running for the Chamber of Deputies for Cusco, although his most notable participation will be as vice president in the APP presidential formula.
For its part, Rosio Torres She is another of the apepist congresswomen who will seek re-election. She faces at least two investigations: one for alleged salary cuts for workers in her office (between 2021 and 2023) and another for fraudulent embezzlement, when she is accused of using personnel hired by Congress in political work for her party and her husband. In February 2025, a final report from the Subcommittee on Constitutional Accusations, then chaired by Maria Acuna —sister of César Acuña—, shielded her from a complaint about salary cuts, alleging lack of evidence. Torres will seek a seat in the Senate representing Loreto.
