Every vote counts now! This Sunday, Piura will elect its new political leadership. And just before the decision, several candidates are neck and neck. In the regional election, only 1.5 percentage points separate the top two candidates in the latest published survey. In the city of Piura, it is a mere 0.6 points.
Beyond names and polling numbers, the real question is what the candidates plan to do for Piura. Hospitals, drinking water, flood protection, security, and infrastructure are among the major issues in this election campaign.
The Piura Thriller: Hilbck vs. Paz
16 candidates are running to become the regional governor of Piura. In the latest published survey by Luna Consultores, two names are leading: Reynaldo Hilbck from Alianza para el Progreso with 19.8 percent and Santiago Paz from Somos Perú with 18.3 percent. Only 1.5 percentage points separate the two.
Following them are Memo La Torre from Podemos Perú with 12.5 percent, Servando García from Fuerza Regional with 9.9 percent, and Pedro “Pepe” Alama from Perú Primero with 9.1 percent. The survey was conducted from September 23 to 25. 2,500 people were interviewed in the Piura region; the stated margin of error is ±2 percentage points.
The small gap between Hilbck and Paz makes it impossible to draw a certain conclusion about who will be in the lead on Sunday. If no candidate reaches at least 30 percent of the valid votes in the regional election, a runoff will be held between the two candidates with the most valid votes.
Hilbck promises hospitals, water, and flood protection
Reynaldo Hilbck is already familiar with the seat of government. He has served as regional governor of Piura before and wants to return. At the top of his list is the Hospital de Alta Complejidad.
Hilbck also intends to take action regarding the long-problematic hospital projects in Los Algarrobos, Ayabaca, Huancabamba, and Huarmaca. His promise is remarkably concrete: Within the first 100 days, a special administrative unit is to address technical and legal issues, secure funding, and prepare for further implementation.
Water! One of Piura’s major problems
Hilbck is also presenting concrete plans for water supply. He mentions the expansion of the Curumuy and El Arenal facilities, an additional treatment plant at the Biaggio Arbulú Canal, and further wells for rural and rapidly growing peripheral areas.
In addition, he plans to protect the Poechos system and advance the Alto Piura project. For a region where water supply and water infrastructure have been causing frustration for years, these are by no means trivial matters.
And what happens during the next El Niño?
Piura knows the consequences of extreme rainfall all too well: water on the streets, destroyed roads, overwhelmed drainage, and significant damage. Hilbck therefore wants to push forward the master plan for the Río Piura and implement measures against flooding.
Drainage projects for Piura, Castilla, Veintiséis de Octubre, Sullana, Talara, and Paita are also among his announced projects.
Piura City: Only 0.6 points!
The race for provincial mayor of Piura is even tighter. Jorge Flores of APP reaches 19.7 percent in the Luna survey. Miguel Cueva of Somos Perú stands at 19.1 percent. The difference is just 0.6 percentage points.
They are followed by Pepe Morey of Perú Primero with 12.8 percent, Walther Guerrero of Podemos Perú with 8.9 percent, and Kelly Morillas of Fuerza Regional with 7.4 percent. Also notable are the 18.4 percent of blank or spoiled votes in the survey.
With a stated margin of error of ±3 percentage points, the small gap between Flores and Cueva does not allow for a certain election outcome to be determined.
Guerrero makes big announcements
Although Walther Guerrero is behind Flores and Cueva in this survey, his promises address some of the city's greatest problems. He intends to push forward the drainage project and better protect Piura against a possible El Niño event.
According to his statements, the sanitation project for 105 asentamientos humanos (human settlements) will not be brought to a standstill. Curumuy is also on his list. In addition, Guerrero promises extra surveillance cameras and regular discussions between the city administration, citizens, and organizations under the banner “La autoridad escucha” (The authority listens).
Sullana: Crisanto with a clear lead in the poll
In Sullana, the latest published measurement looks different. Hildebrando Crisanto of APP reaches 26.0 percent. Charlys Arévalo of Fuerza Regional stands at 12.9 percent, Julio Oliva of Somos Perú at 12.6 percent, and Paul Guerrero of Podemos Perú at 11.7 percent.
In this survey, that is a significantly larger gap than in Piura. Nevertheless, the same applies here: A poll only describes the situation at the time of questioning and is not an election result.
Oliva wants to tackle the Canal Vía
Julio Oliva has named several concrete projects for Sullana. His plan for the Canal Vía is particularly noteworthy; he talks about deepening and covering it. He also mentions waste disposal, streets and sidewalks, better lighting, flood protection, and increased municipal security.
Regarding the budget, Oliva also provides a concrete figure: 70 percent for the urban area and 30 percent for smaller settlements and rural areas.
Talara: Now it's getting really tight
In Talara, three candidates are relatively close together in the published survey. Fito Sánchez of APP reaches 28.0 percent, Jorge Vilela of Podemos 26.0 percent, and Harold Alemán of Somos Perú 20.5 percent. There are only two percentage points between Sánchez and Vilela.
For Talara, water supply, streets, security, energy, fishing, and tourism are on the political agenda. The province is far more than just the city of Talara.
With Máncora, Los Órganos, Vichayito, and Lobitos, some of the most important travel destinations on the north coast are located in this area. Decisions on water, roads, and tourism infrastructure therefore affect residents, businesses, and visitors equally.
Paita: Atoche in the lead – and a big water promise
In Paita, María Atoche of País para Todos reaches 24.0 percent. Justo Juárez of Podemos Perú stands at 16.8 percent, and Nixon Vera of APP at 12.8 percent.
Atoche has tackled an issue of great importance for Paita: drinking water. She wants to expand the El Arenal facility and gradually reduce reliance on water tankers.
Historic Paita is also set to benefit. Atoche talks about restoring historic buildings, upgrading the Plaza de Armas, and revitalizing El Toril beach as a tourist location.
Sechura: Montaño vs. Querevalú
Sechura also provides close numbers. Boris Montaño of APP reaches 36.0 percent, Santos Querevalú of Podemos Perú stands at 32.4 percent. Henry Zavaleta follows with 15.2 percent.
There are only 3.6 percentage points between the two leaders in the survey. Again, this only reflects the status of a published poll. The final word lies with the election authorities.
Ayabaca: Castillo with a large lead in the measurement
The numbers in Ayabaca look quite different. Evaristo Castillo of Fuerza Regional reaches 44.0 percent, Dayner Quinde of Podemos Perú stands at 22.0 percent.
But another number stands out: 29 percent blank or spoiled votes. That is a significant share. This is why it would be wrong to derive an election winner from a poll already.
Huancabamba: Rivera ahead of Huayama
In Huancabamba, Abel Rivera of APP reaches 36.0 percent, Alfonso Huayama of Podemos Perú stands at 28.0 percent. There is also a notably high value for blank or spoiled votes there: 22 percent.
The gap between the candidates is larger than in Talara or Piura, for example. However, the high share of blank or spoiled votes shows that the survey cannot simply be equated with the later election result.
Morropón: Four candidates close together
In Morropón, support is spread particularly wide. Nelson Mio of Somos Perú reaches 19.5 percent, Hernán Pasapera of Renovación Popular 15.5 percent, Manuel Cueva of Podemos 14.5 percent, and Richard Baca of APP 12.5 percent.
There are only seven percentage points between first and fourth place in this measurement. Added to this are 19 percent blank or spoiled votes. Morropón is thus one of the provinces where the published survey shows a particularly fragmented field.
Castilla: A tie!
Castilla also deserves a look. An earlier Luna survey saw Claudio Vallejo of Perú Primero and Marlon Jiménez of Podemos Perú tied at 17 percent each. Directly behind them was Joselino López of Somos Perú with 16 percent.
Violeta Ruesta of APP reached 13 percent, José Sarduón of Fuerza Regional 12 percent. Thus, five candidacies were relatively close together.
These are the major campaign promises
Hospitals, water, drainage, streets, and security are recurring themes throughout the campaign. Hilbck mentions, among other things, the Hospital de Alta Complejidad, the four stalled hospital projects, Alto Piura, Poechos, Curumuy, El Arenal, additional wells, as well as flood protection and drainage.
Guerrero promises drainage, the sanitation project for 105 settlements, Curumuy, additional surveillance cameras, and regular citizen dialogues. Oliva names the Canal Vía, waste disposal, streets, lighting, flood protection, and security.
Atoche focuses, among other things, on expanding El Arenal, better drinking water supply, fewer water tankers, and upgrading historic Paita. These are concrete statements from the campaign that citizens can remember even after October 4.
Only the election result counts on Sunday
The polls show very different starting positions. For the regional government as well as in Piura, Talara, and Sechura, candidates are relatively close together in the published surveys. In other provinces, the measured gaps are larger.
But none of these numbers decide the election. On Sunday, only the actual votes cast and subsequently the official results of the Peruvian election authorities will count.
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Open WhatsApp channelJurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE), Voto Informado, and candidate information for the 2026 regional and municipal elections.
Luna Consultores, published election polls for Piura and its provinces, September 2026, Registro Electoral 511-REE/JNE.
Noticias Piura 3.0, reporting on election polls for the regional government, Piura province, and other provinces, September 2026.
El Regional de Piura, interviews and reporting on candidates and campaign promises, September and October 2026.
Convoca, evaluation of government programs for the 2026 regional and municipal elections.
Public program and campaign disclosures of the named candidates, 2027–2030 term.
Hero image: Plaza de Armas de Piura, photo by Edward Josué Quevedo Macalupú, Wikimedia Commons, own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, February 4, 2019. Used as an optimized 1280-pixel version for PeruMagazin.
