Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra died Sunday in a traffic accident on a remote highway in the Andes while traveling to a political rally, local police said. Becerra, 61, was campaigning as the Workers and Entrepreneurs Party candidate for Peru’s April 12 presidential election, according to the report.
Police said Becerra’s vehicle left the road in the rural district of Pilpichaca, located about 430 kilometers (267 miles) southeast of Lima. Mayor Balvín Huamaní told The Associated Press that three passengers in the candidate’s car were injured. The accident happened while Becerra was en route to a political event, the report said.
Becerra was among 36 candidates for the April 12 vote. A recent poll showed him with less than 1% of voting intentions, according to the Associated Press report.
The Workers and Entrepreneurs Party said Becerra’s body was taken to Huamanga, the capital of the Ayacucho region where the accident took place. The party’s statement did not change the circumstances described by local police about where the crash occurred.
Peru is heading toward its general elections amid political instability that has accelerated leadership turnover. The Associated Press report said José María Balcázar became Peru’s eighth president in a decade in February, replacing another interim leader who was ousted over corruption allegations.