Roberto Sánchez Palomino

Roberto Helbert Sánchez Palomino (born 3 February 1969) is a Peruvian politician and member of the political party Together for Peru. He has been a member of Congress from 2021 to 2026 and was Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism for Pedro Castillo from 29 July 2021 until his resignation on 7 December 2022. He was a presidential candidate in the 2026 general election, but was narrowly defeated in the runoff by Keiko Fujimori.

Early life and education Sánchez was born in Huaral on 3 February 1969. He is the son of a barber and a laundress, both of whom were born in the Andean regions of Apurímac and Ayacucho.

As a teenager, he moved to Lima with the intention of becoming a priest, but later decided to study psychology. He has mentioned that he was part of liberation theology pastoral groups and worked as a psychologist with HIV patients. graduating in 1998 with a bachelor's degree and a professional degree in 2000, later becoming a psychotherapist for both individuals and groups. Sánchez later earned a master's degree in social policy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. In the 2006 regional and municipal elections, Sánchez was a candidate for mayor of Huaral for the Peruvian Humanist Party, but was unsuccessful in winning it. In 2020, he was appointed manager of Social Development of the Provincial Municipality of Huaral. Some former leaders of Together for Peru criticized Sánchez for his ability to establish leadership in the party, including the party's founder Yehude Simon. On July 29, 2021, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism in the government of Pedro Castillo.

Sánchez was the only individual to serve throughout the entirety of Castillo's tenure.

Presidential candidacy Sánchez ran for office to be the president of Peru in the 2026 Peruvian general election.

A defender of President Castillo, Sánchez said that the former president was a victim of a coup during the institutional crisis in 2022, promising to release Castillo from prison if elected. At a court hearing shortly before the election, Castillo called on the public to vote for Sánchez.

In the first round of the election, which began on 12 April 2026, Sánchez saw his position move from 6th place in the first few days of tabulation to 2nd place by 15 April. The slow increase of Sánchez's position in the presidential race occurred due to the rural support of Sánchez, which required longer times to gather data from remote areas. This support was seen as a vindication of Castillo by rural supporters who saw Congress obstructing the former president's mandate. He tapped Pedro Francke as his potential economic minister, a moderate economist who held positions with the Central Reserve Bank of Peru and the World Bank Group. Francke said that a Sánchez government would respect the autonomy of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru and would not engage in nationalizations, saying that exisiting economic contracts would remain recognized.

In the second round, after weeks of counting, Sanchez was defeated by Keiko Fujimori. He later called for demonstrations in protest of the result, while also making false claims of voter fraud.

Political positions A member of the left wing,

Sánchez is additionally described as a progressive.

Electoral history