Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra died Sunday in a car accident on a remote Andean highway while traveling to a political rally, local police and a party statement said.
Becerra, 61, was the candidate for the Workers and Entrepreneurs Party of Peru in the April 12 election. He was one of 36 candidates, and a recent poll showed him with less than 1% of voting intentions.
According to local police, Becerra’s vehicle went off the road in the rural district of Pilpichaca, about 430 kilometers (267 miles) southeast of Lima. The accident occurred in that area while he was traveling to the rally.
Mayor Balvín Huamaní told The Associated Press that three passengers in Becerra’s car were injured. The party later said his body was taken to Huamanga, the capital of the Ayacucho region where the accident took place.
Peruvians hope the general elections will put a halt to the country’s extended political crisis. In February, José María Balcázar became Peru’s eighth president in a decade, replacing another interim leader who had been ousted over corruption allegations.
Whether Becerra’s death will affect the election campaign was not immediately described in the report.