Hitler Mussolini Wins Peru Mayoral Race

A candidate named Hitler Mussolini Simeón Flores has won a narrow mayoral contest in Peru’s Andes, attracting international attention to an election decided by just 25 votes.

Flores, 45, stood for the center-left Ahora Nación party in Queropalca, a rural district in the central department of Huánuco. Voting took place on October 4 as part of Peru’s regional and municipal elections.

The national elections office, ONPE, released the completed count, giving him 229 votes, or 34.54% of valid ballots. Formal proclamation of the result remained pending.

A Close Three-Way Contest

Gaspar Benilde Osorio Zambrano, representing the right-wing Renovación Popular Perú, finished second with 204 votes and 30.77%.

Itala Yovana Santillán Vara of Partido País para Todos placed third with 187 votes (28.21%). Just 42 votes separated the leading three candidates.

Roughly 700 people cast ballots, with 663 valid votes recorded. Flores is due to take office on January 1.

An Unusual Name Draws Attention

Queropalca lies in Lauricocha province, about 360km from Lima. Its district capital sits roughly 3,831 meters above sea level.

Flores was born in the district, according to his candidate profile, which lists him as manager of Simeon Sac Investment Group. The application provides no explanation for his first names.

Those names, shared with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, have brought scrutiny from far beyond the small Andean electorate.

Earlier Electoral Namesakes

Peru has seen a similar case before. In Yúngar’s 2018 mayoral election, Hitler Guesclin Alba Sánchez defeated Lenin Vladimir Rodríguez Valverde.

“I’m the good Hitler,” Alba told broadcasters during that campaign, according to local media. He said his father had chosen the name without fully understanding its historical significance.

In Namibia, politician Adolf Hitler Uunona drew international attention after winning a local election in 2020.

“As a child I saw it as a totally normal name,” he told the BBC.