Rafael López Aliaga

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lopez Aliaga and the second or maternal family name is Cazorla.
Rafael López Aliaga
Rafael López Aliaga.jpg
President of Popular Renewal
Assumed office
7 October 2020
Preceded byHimself (as President of National Solidarity)
President of National Solidarity
In office
29 August 2020 – 7 October 2020
Preceded byLuis Castañeda Lossio
Succeeded byHimself (as President of Popular Renewal)
General Secretary of National Solidarity
In office
23 September 2019 – 29 August 2020
PresidentLuis Castañeda Lossio
Lima City Councilman
In office
1 January 2007 – 31 December 2010
Personal details
Born (1961-02-11) 11 February 1961 (age 61)
Lima, Peru
NationalityPeruvian
Political partyPopular Renewal (2020–present)
Other political
affiliations		National Solidarity (2009-2020)
Parent(s)Fernando López Aliaga
Paula Cazorla
Alma mater
University of Piura (BS)
University of the Pacific (MBA)

Rafael Bernardo López Aliaga Cazorla (born 11 February 1961) is a Peruvian businessman and politician. A conservative figure in Peruvian politics, he ran for President of Peru under Popular Renewal at the 2021 general election in which he placed third.[1][2] Previously, he served as General Secretary and subsequently President of National Solidarity until the party was dissolved in October 2020 and succeeded by Popular Renewal, which he currently leads.[3]

Early life and education[]

López Aliaga was born in Lima on 11 February 1961, but was raised in Chiclayo, Lambayeque Region. His father, Fernando López Aliaga, worked in the city's Hacienda Pomalca while his mother, Paula Cazorla, was from the Cajamarca Region. Both of his parents were chemical engineers.[4]

Upon graduating from San Agustín School of Chiclayo, López Aliaga was admitted to the to study industrial engineering. He subsequently dropped out due to the political unrest of the 1980s. Relocating in Piura, he was admitted to the University of Piura to study industrial engineering, completing the degree in four years and graduating first in his class.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in 1983. Later, he obtained a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of the Pacífic, and completed the Senior Management Program (PAD) at the University of Piura.

Career[]

Raised in the northern region of Lambayeque, López Aliaga pursued a career in banking, serving at first in Banco Wiese es, and as Corporate and Development Banking Manager at Citibank. Subsequently, he founded Peruvian Corp, a securities enterprise, and Grupo Acres, a hotel and railway finance company.

Since 1999, he has been a co shareholder along with Lorenzo Sousa of PeruRail as well as Belmond's hotels and Trasandino Railway in Peru.[5]

Political career[]

Entering politics through the Lima City Council in 2007, López Aliaga maintained a low profile until 2019, when he was elected to the general secretaryship of National Solidarity in September 2019. Following the dissolution of the Peruvian Congress, his party was set to run at the 2020 parliamentary election. Initially a moderate conservative, López Aliaga adopted a conservative platform.[6] He also ran for a seat in Congress in 2011 under the National Solidarity Alliance, but he was unsuccessful.[7]

2021 Peruvian presidential election[]

Further information: 2021 Peruvian presidential election

During the 2020 campaign, López Aliaga announced his intention to run for President of Peru at the 2021 general election, stating in a televised interview that he considered himself to be "the Peruvian Bolsonaro".[4][8]

Following his party's poor results at the 2020 parliamentary election, he announced an organizational re-foundation.[9][10] In October 2020, López Aliaga officially founded Popular Renewal, effectively dissolving National Solidarity by changing the registered organization's name and platform. Assuming the position of party president, he stated that the party is "re-founded with principles of solidarity and anchored in God, Christ."[11]

He campaigns on a neoliberal platform on economic issues and a conservative one on societal issues. A member of Opus Dei, he is sometimes described as a religious fundamentalist. He calls for a ban on sex education in colleges, which he sees as a form of "cultural Marxism" promoting homosexuality, a ban on abortion, including in cases of rape or danger to the life of the mother, and a ban on same-sex marriage, seeing homosexuality as "a problem that needs to be cured." He is also opposed to contraception and has claimed that women who are victims of domestic violence have a responsibility.[12]

On economic issues, he wants to favour private investment and limit the presence of the state. He proposed to abolish social programmes such as food distribution in poor schools, believing that social assistance should be handled by private associations and not by the public authorities.[12]

According to The Guardian, human rights groups were "alarmed by his use of conspiracy theories, disinformation and hate speech against opponents and journalists".[13] On the COVID-19 pandemic, he opposes travel restrictions and the use of masks. He himself does not generally use masks in his public appearances, although he explains that he sometimes wears them "so that the press does not criticise [him]." He advocates that the vaccination campaign should be left to the private sector and that individuals should pay for access to vaccination.[12] According to Vice, López Aliaga has disseminated misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines in Peru, accusing President Sagasti of committing "genocide" for purchasing what he called ineffective vaccines.[14] A month before elections, López Aliaga called for the removal of President Sagasti from office, raising concerns among presidential candidates that he was promoting a coup against the president.[14][15]

As part of his campaign, he stated the voting in 2021 would be "the last free election in Peru" and "if we don't go well, this will be Venezuela or Cuba, remember me".[16] He also blamed presidents Martín Vizcarra and Francisco Sagasti for Peru's economic issues, describing the Vizcarra administration as a "communist style of the government" and called Sagasti a "clown".[16] He proposed further deregulation of Peru and the elimination of half of its ministries.[16]

In Peru, he is commonly known under the nickname "Porky", referring to the Porky Pig Show. Aliaga adopted his nickname for his campaign, so he occasionally costumed himself as pig to protest against the omnipresent corruption in the country.[17][12][18]

In an interview conducted on January 19, 2021 on the ATV channel, he generated controversy with the metaphorical opinion he provided regarding his stance against abortion in rape cases. The words he mentioned were: “I am a hotelier. I have five-star hotels, for me to give a 5-star hotel as a home for a girl is to give her the most affection I can.[19][20]

On February 19, 2021, the Special Electoral Jury (JEE) initiated a sanctioning process against the candidacy of Rafael López Aliaga for violating electoral propaganda regulations. This measure was approved because the applicant said that upon reaching the presidency "he will donate his salary to charitable organizations".[21][22] He was temporarily disqualified from the presidential election on 25 February 2021 for alleged vote-buying based on his statement that if he was elected President, he will donate his salary to charity.[2] Hernando de Soto, his political rival in the 2021 elections, appeared at the demonstration outside the JNE, where Aliaga was, whom he praised.[23][24]

On March 12, 2021, he presented his technical team, which included former ministers Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre, Carlos Herrera Descalzi, Alfonso Velásquez Tuesta, former Vice Minister Eduardo Ponce Vivanco, former Vice President of the Republic, Máximo San Román, the former parliamentarian Fabiola Morales Castillo, the former president of the Judiciary Javier Villa Stein, the former director general of the Police José Tisoc Lindley, among others.[25]

2022 Lima mayoral election[]

In the aftermath of the first round of the 2021 general election, López Aliaga confirmed his bid for mayor of Lima in the upcoming 2022 mayoral election.[26]

Ideology and views[]

Rafael López Aliaga regards himself as a "social Christian"[27] while some news agencies describe him as having far-right and conservative leaning.[15][28][18][29][30][31] López Aliaga has said that he is celibate and is a member of Opus Dei.[32][33][34] He opposes same-sex marriage, the use of contraceptives, the legalization of marijuana and abortion.[4][33][29]

López Aliaga signed the Madrid Charter, a document drafted by the far-right Spanish party Vox that describes left-wing groups as enemies of Ibero-America involved in a "criminal project" that are "under the umbrella of the Cuban regime".[35][36] He signed the document along with other right-wing politicians such as Javier Milei of Argentina, José Antonio Kast of Chile and Eduardo Bolsonaro of Brazil, the son of President Jair Bolsonaro.[36]

Investigations[]

According to Peruvian media, López Aliaga has been allegedly involved in controversies surrounding his finances.[5][37] He was investigated by the Congress of Peru in 2001 regarding allegations of tax evasion.[38] The Panama Papers scandal in 2017 mentioned López Aliaga as allegedly being involved with money laundering.[5][37] During the campaign his businesses were accused of having a large debt with the SUNAT and of not paying personal debts to the state.[39]

References[]

  1. ^ Chávarri, Rocio. "Rafael López Aliaga: "Impulsaré un shock de empleos para los peruanos"". ElPeruano. El Peruano. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Excluyen a López Aliaga por ofrecer que donará su remuneración si asume la Presidencia | POLITICA". Peru21 (in Spanish). 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2021-02-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ PERÚ, Revista Caretas (7 October 2020). "Solidaridad Nacional ahora es Renovación Popular: cambio lo anunció Rafael López Aliaga". caretas.pe.
  4. ^ a b c Herrada, Diego Pajares (2020-12-23). "Elecciones 2021: Rafael López Aliaga, el exregidor provincial de Lima que quiere llegar a Palacio [Perfil] El Poder en tus Manos". RPP (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c Cabral, Ernesto (2021-03-02). "Candidate promoting hate speech in Peru is partner of global hotel corporation". Ojo Público (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Noticias, RPP (12 January 2020). "Rafael López Aliaga anuncia su candidatura a la Presidencia por Solidaridad Nacional". rpp.pe.
  7. ^ "Infogob | Observatorio para la Gobernabilidad". Infogob. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  8. ^ Noticias, Informáte Perú (13 January 2020). "Rafael López Aliaga anuncia su candidatura presidencial y dice que será el Bolsonaro peruano". informateperu.pe.
  9. ^ Opinión, Lucidez (20 August 2020). "Anuncian plan de reestructuración de Solidaridad Nacional". lucidez.pe.
  10. ^ PERÚ, Diario El Comercio (2 October 2020). "Elecciones 2021: Rafael López Aliaga ya tiene a sus precandidatos para la plancha presidencial y el Congreso". elcomercio.pe.
  11. ^ PERÚ, Diario La República (7 October 2020). "Solidaridad Nacional cambia de nombre a Renovación Popular". larepublica.pe.
  12. ^ a b c d ""Porky", el Bolsonaro de Perú que disputa el segundo lugar | Rafael López Aliaga irrumpió en la campaña con un discurso de ultraderecha".
  13. ^ "'People don't want any of them': Peru election sees unpredictable contest". The Guardian. 2021-04-11. Retrieved 2021-04-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ a b "Peru's Leading Presidential Candidates Have a Lot of Sexual Hangups". Vice. Retrieved 2021-03-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ a b "Candidato de la ultraderecha peruana es acusado de golpista por sus oponentes". EFE (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ a b c "Rafael López Aliaga: "Perú está en grave riesgo de ser Cuba o Venezuela, esta puede ser la última elección libre"". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2021-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ https://www.nzz.ch/international/wahlen-in-peru-von-der-angst-wieder-den-falschen-zu-waehlen-ld.1610836
  18. ^ a b Cavero, Natalia Puertas (2021-03-10). "'Uncle Porky,' the conservative, right-wing businessman is second in Peruvian election polls". Al Día. Retrieved 2021-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ CORREO, NOTICIAS (2021-01-21). "Rafael López Aliaga: Niña que procrea pasa a ser mujer | POLITICA". Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  20. ^ BOCÓN, NOTICIAS EL (2021-01-19). "Rafael López Aliaga: "Cuando una niña ya procrea no es niña, es una mujercita" Elecciones 2021 nndc | ACTUALIDAD". El Bocón (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  21. ^ PERÚ, NOTICIAS EL COMERCIO (2021-02-20). "Rafael López-Aliaga: JEE inicia proceso sancionador por vulnerar normas de propaganda electoral | Elecciones 2021 | nndc | POLITICA". El Comercio Perú (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  22. ^ PERÚ, Empresa Peruana de Servicios Editoriales S. A. EDITORA. "Elecciones 2021: inician proceso sancionador contra Rafael López Aliaga". andina.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  23. ^ PERÚ, NOTICIAS EL COMERCIO (2021-03-05). "Hernando de Soto expresa su solidaridad a Rafael López Aliaga en protesta frente al JNE | Elecciones 2021 nndc | POLITICA". El Comercio Perú (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  24. ^ PERU21, NOTICIAS (2021-03-06). "Rafael López Aliaga | elecciones 2021 | El JNE le dio la razón a Rafael López Aliaga y a George Forsyth, y vuelven a la carrera | POLITICA". Peru21 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  25. ^ "Máximo San Román, Javier Villa Stein, Carlos Loza y otros forman parte del equipo técnico de Renovación Popular - Caretas Política". Caretas (in Spanish). 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  26. ^ "Rafael López Aliaga anuncia que postulará a la alcaldía de Lima". RPP (in Spanish). 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  27. ^ Zegarra, Gonzalo. "Rafael López Aliaga: "Perú está en grave riesgo de ser Cuba o Venezuela, esta puede ser la última elección libre"". Infobae. Infobae. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Campaña sin favoritos eleva incertidumbre en Perú a un mes de las presidenciales". France 24. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2021-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ a b "Extreme Right Rises In Peruvian Politics". Latin American Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2021-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  30. ^ "Candidato ultraconservador peruano pide destituir al presidente Sagasti". Noticieros Televisa (in Mexican Spanish). 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2021-03-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  31. ^ Aquino, Marco (18 March 2021). "Peru's Bolsonaro? The Opus Dei ultra-conservative who would kick out Odebrecht". National Post. Reuters. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  32. ^ "Rafael López Aliaga, candidato a la presidencia del Perú: "Considero la Santa Misa el centro de mi vida"". infoCatólica. infoCatólica. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  33. ^ a b Canal 4, América Televisión. "¿Quién es Rafael López, nuevo secretario general de Solidaridad Nacional?". americatv.com.pe.
  34. ^ "Candidato del Opus Dei en Perú, Rafael López Aliaga promete expulsar y multar a Odebrecht". AméricaEconomía (in Spanish). 2021-03-22. Retrieved 2021-03-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ "Carta de Madrid". Fundación Disenso (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  36. ^ a b "Spooked by Venezuela". The Economist. Vol. 9270, no. 441. London: The Economist Intelligence Unit. 6 November 2021. p. 49.
  37. ^ a b "Elecciones generales 2021 | Candidatos a la presidencia y con procesos en la Fiscalía | keiko fujimori | ollanta humala | cesar acuña | daniel urresti | julio guzman | daniel salaverry | rafael lopez aliaga | POLITICA". Peru.21 (in Spanish). 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2021-04-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  38. ^ Cabral, Ernesto (28 February 2021). "Corporación global hotelera tiene como socio a candidato que promueve discursos de odio en Perú". Ojo Público (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  39. ^ "Deuda coactiva de Rafael López con Sunat subió a más de S/ 33 millones". La República (in Spanish). 2021-04-01. Retrieved 2021-07-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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