Roberto Sánchez Palomino biography: psychologist and 2026 candidate

Roberto Sánchez Palomino is one of the most mentioned names in Peruvian politics in 2026. A psychologist by profession, former congressman and former Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism during the government of Pedro Castillo, he now leads the presidential candidacy of Juntos por el Perú with a left-wing message aimed at transforming the State. His figure stirs popular fervour in rural areas as much as serious controversy in the media. In this article you will find his full biography, political career, government proposals and everything you need to know about this candidate who surprised the country by moving into second place in the first round of the 2026 general elections.

Who is Roberto Sánchez Palomino?

Roberto Helbert Sánchez Palomino is a Peruvian psychologist and politician born in Huaral on February 3, 1969. He was a member of Congress for the 2021-2026 period and Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism under the government of Pedro Castillo. He has chaired the Juntos por el Perú party since October 2017 and is that group's presidential candidate for the 2026 general elections.

Roberto Sánchez Palomino's personal details

Beginnings of his career

Roberto Sánchez Palomino grew up in Huaral, a province of Lima, and from a young age showed an interest in the social sciences. He entered the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, where he studied Psychology, obtaining his bachelor's degree in 1998 and his professional qualification in 2000. He later completed a master's in Social Policies at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, although he is listed as having completed the coursework rather than as a graduate of that programme.

He took his first steps in public management at municipal level. He served as manager of Social Development at the Provincial Municipality of Huaral, where he worked on programmes aimed at improving the quality of life of the local population. He later took on the post of manager of Human Capital at the District Municipality of San Borja, an experience that allowed him to strengthen his focus on labour policies and institutional organization.

On the party front, Sánchez Palomino started as a member of the Partido Humanista Peruano, founded by Yehude Simon. In the 2006 parliamentary elections he ran for Congress for Susana Villarán's Concertación Descentralista alliance, without winning a seat (1,259 votes). That same year, he tried to become mayor of Huaral for the Partido Humanista, also without success. Those early setbacks did not stop his political vocation, but tempered it.

Professional career and achievements

Roberto Sánchez Palomino's path shows a steady progression from local management to the highest posts of the Peruvian Executive and Legislature:

• Manager of Social Development – Municipality of Huaral: He designed social programmes aimed at vulnerable populations in the northern province of Lima.
• Manager of Human Capital – Municipality of San Borja: He managed human resources in one of the most structured districts of Metropolitan Lima.
• President of Juntos por el Perú (since October 2017): He took the reins of the party and positioned it as a left-wing platform with national reach.
• Member of Congress 2021-2026 (Lima electoral district): He obtained 29,825 votes and kept an active presence in legislative debate, especially on social issues and, later, on mining.
• Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR) – July 2021 to December 2022: For 16 months, he was one of the few ministers in Pedro Castillo's cabinet who kept the president's confidence without interruption. He managed the revival of the tourism sector after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 2026 presidential candidate for Juntos por el Perú: He went from 3.2% to 9% in voting intention in less than a month according to Ipsos, and reached second place in the first round on April 12, 2026.

As happened with figures such as Keiko Fujimori, Sánchez Palomino's figure generates opposing positions in the Peruvian electorate: massive support in rural and high Andean areas, and distrust in urban and business sectors.

Proposals and government plan

The government plan of Roberto Sánchez Palomino and Juntos por el Perú defines itself as a left-wing proposal with a mixed economy model. His most notable proposals are:

• Constituent Assembly to replace the 1993 Constitution, with an emphasis on the economic chapter.
• State control of strategic resources: gas, mining, water, energy, ports and airspace.
• Education: Free admission to public higher education; increase of the education budget from 6% to 10% of GDP in five years; permanent appointment of contract teachers.
• Health: 8% of GDP for health; Integrated Health Networks (RIS) nationwide; centralized purchasing of medicines.
• Anti-corruption: Permanent disqualification for officials who steal from the State; citizen oversight bodies; a ban on the “revolving door”.
• Economy: Tax on windfall profits and on large fortunes; renegotiation of extractive contracts and free trade agreements.
• Security: Police reform; a specialized financial intelligence unit to fight extortion and money laundering.
• Gender and diversity: Guarantee of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (ESI); policies against gender violence; constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples.

His proposal to remove the president of the Central Reserve Bank, Julio Velarde, raised alarm in the financial markets and was one of the most debated points of his campaign.

Personal life

Roberto Sánchez Palomino is a native of Huaral, a city north of Lima known for its agricultural production. He keeps a discreet profile about his private and family life. It is known that he has relevant family links in politics: his brother, William Sánchez Palomino, is a Senate candidate for Juntos por el Perú and has been linked to investigations into the handling of party funds.

The candidate cast his vote on April 12, 2026 at the “María Reiche” school in the district of San Borja, Lima, accompanied by his parents and relatives. That morning he also visited former president Pedro Castillo at the Barbadillo prison, in the district of Ate, a gesture that set the symbolic tone of his entire campaign.

In my experience analysing Peruvian political figures, few candidates have combined institutional discourse with the vindication of an imprisoned former president so explicitly. This bet by Sánchez Palomino carries enormous emotional weight with the rural electorate, but it also implies an image risk in more critical urban sectors.

Roberto Sánchez Palomino trivia

• A practising psychologist: Besides being a politician, Sánchez Palomino trained as an individual and group psychotherapist at UNMSM, although his professional career quickly moved towards public management.
• The only survivor of the Castillo cabinet: He was one of the few ministers in Pedro Castillo's government who stayed in post throughout the period in which he served (16 consecutive months), without being replaced because of internal political crises.
• The “Ruta Castillista”: During his campaign, he organized a tour of remote areas of the country called the “Ruta Castillista” in honour of the former president, with the backing of Antauro Humala. The tour included meetings with social bases and mining unions in regions such as Arequipa, where he was taken to hospital as an emergency in February 2026.
• He travelled to Bolivia to support Evo Morales: In March and May 2025, Sánchez travelled to Bolivia to take part in events supporting the presidential candidacy of the former Bolivian leader Evo Morales, who was ultimately disqualified by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
• The electoral surprise of April 12, 2026: He began election night in sixth place in ONPE's counts. Thanks to the rural and high Andean vote —which takes longer to process— he kept climbing until he settled into second place on April 15, surprising national and international analysts and media.
• Self-described “castillista candidate”: He is the only 2026 presidential candidate who publicly defines himself as a follower and defender of the figure of Pedro Castillo, convicted of conspiracy to rebel.

Roberto Sánchez Palomino today (2026)

The present of Roberto Sánchez Palomino could not be busier. After the general elections of April 12, 2026, the Juntos por el Perú candidate is shaping up as one of the finalists for the presidential run-off, competing against Keiko Fujimori of Fuerza Popular and leaving behind figures such as Rafael López Aliaga.

His rise in the polls was dizzying: in less than a month before the elections he went from 3.2% to 9% of valid votes, according to Ipsos (survey of April 4, 2026), driven by his participation in the presidential debate and his presence in historically forgotten regions. Rural and high Andean support was the key factor in his electoral success.

His candidacy does face serious legal challenges, however. The Attorney General's Office opened investigations into him for alleged offences of influence peddling, embezzlement, document forgery and incompatible negotiation. In the CV he submitted to the JNE he did not record any of these proceedings, which drew criticism from media and rival parties. In addition, in January 2025, the Attorney General filed a constitutional complaint against him and former congressman Guido Bellido over irregularities in contracting during his time at MINCETUR.

On the electoral front, Sánchez said from his party headquarters on Av. Guzmán Blanco (Cercado de Lima) that he receives the possibility of a run-off “with serenity and gratitude”, and committed to touring the whole country under the slogan of the “refoundation of the homeland”.

Conclusion

Roberto Sánchez Palomino represents one of the most unexpected political phenomena of Peru's 2026 elections. He started from relative anonymity —with barely 3% of voting intention— and ended up contesting the presidential run-off thanks to a message that connected with rural, high Andean and peripheral Peru. His figure is marked as much by a solid institutional career (psychologist, former minister, congressman) as by pending prosecutorial investigations and a discourse that openly vindicates former president Pedro Castillo.

His government proposal aims at a structural transformation of the State, with greater control over natural resources and an expansion of social spending on education and health. If he finally reaches the run-off and prevails over Keiko Fujimori, Peru would enter a period of high economic and institutional uncertainty. If not, his campaign will have shown that the “castillista vote” is still a real force on the national political map, as figures such as Rafael López Aliaga have also proved from the opposite end of the spectrum.

Sources consulted

• Infobae: Roberto Sánchez: Profile and CV of the presidential candidate for Juntos por el Perú
• Andina: 2026 Elections: Learn the CV of Roberto Sánchez of Juntos por el Perú
• La República: 2026 Elections: Roberto Sánchez moves into second place after overtaking Rafael López Aliaga in ONPE's count at 89%
• Wikipedia: Roberto Sánchez (politician)