Peruvian shamans perform ritual of sound and smoke to bless candidates ahead of presidential runoff

(1 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Lima, Peru - 1 June 2026 1. Various of shamans beginning ritual on cliff by beach 2. Shaman sprinkling coca leaves on photo of Peruvian presidential candidates Roberto Sánchez 3. Shamans performing ritual 4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Andrés de los Santos, Peruvian shaman: ++STARTS ON SHOT 3++ "The ritual we perform is primarily intended to ensure that the best candidate is the one who represents our Peru." 5. Shamans performing ritual 6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Félix Rondán, Peruvian Shaman: ++PARTIALLY OVERLAID BY SHOTS 7 AND 8++ "Whether from the south, north, coast, highlands or jungle, we are all brothers and sisters; rich and poor embracing one another. That is what we want here, because all of us here in Peru are suffering." 7. Shamans holding photos of Fujimori and Sánchez 8. Various of shamans performing ritual STORYLINE: Peruvian shamans gathered on Monday to perform a ritual for the two contenders vying for the country's presidency. Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez will battle it out in a runoff vote on June 7 after advancing in the first round of elections in April. The shamans, who gathered by the coast in the Chorrilos district, held up portraits of the two candidates who are close in the polls. The 50-year-old congresswoman Fujimori, the daughter of the late President Alberto Fujimori and candidate for Fuerza Popular, gathered 2.8 million votes, or 17.19% of the total, in the first round. She reached the presidential runoff for the fourth time. Sánchez, of Juntos por el Perú party and a former foreign trade minister under former President Pedro Castillo, got 2.015 million votes, or 12.03%. Both beat 33 other candidates with promises to put an end to surging crime, the top priority for Peruvians whose country’s mining-driven economy has proved resilient to political instability. The shamans ceremony included a blessing ritual for the candidates using flower petals, fruit, coca leaves, palo santo, black tobacco, swords and dolls. They also lit colorful flares and banged drums. "The ritual we perform is primarily intended to ensure that the best candidate is the one who represents our Peru," said shaman Andrés de los Santos, who had traveled from the north of the country. Although the shamans did not announce who they thought would win the contest they have previously predicted the future. At the end of 2025 they announced that former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would not be in office by the end of 2026. AP video shot by: Mauricio Muñoz =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...