A candidate named Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores secured victory in Peru's municipal elections Friday, winning the mayoral race in Queropalca, a remote district in the Andean province of Lauricocha in the central department of Huánuco.
Flores, 45, representing the centre-left party Ahora Nación, received 229 votes, equivalent to 34.54% of the 663 valid ballots cast. He defeated his nearest rival, Gaspar Benilde Osorio Zambrano of the right-wing Renovación Popular Perú, by just 25 votes. Zambrano secured 204 votes, or 30.77%. The third-place finisher, Itala Yovana Santillán Vara of País para Todos, received 187 votes, or 28.21%. According to local media reports, the top three candidates were separated by only 42 votes overall.
Queropalca is a small district with a population of slightly over 730 residents, according to official 2024 data. Approximately 700 people participated in the election.
Flores's name—combining the forenames of Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany, and Benito Mussolini, founder of Italian fascism—drew international media attention. However, sources indicate there is no evidence that Flores holds political views aligned with either historical figure. In his candidate filing with Peru's electoral authority, Flores is identified as managing the Simeon SAC investment group, though no explanation is provided regarding the origin of his name.
Flores previously held membership in the right-wing populist party Fuerza Popular before leaving in 2025 to join Ahora Nación, according to his candidacy declaration.
This is not the first instance of a politician named Hitler winning office in Peru. In 2018, Hitler Guesclin Alba Sánchez won the mayoral election in the district of Yúngar, defeating a candidate named Lenin Vladimir Rodríguez Valverde. During that campaign, Alba referred to himself as "the good Hitler" and used slogans including "Hitler returns" and "Hitler is with the people."
Similar naming patterns have appeared in other countries. In Namibia, Adolf Hitler Uunona won his fifth consecutive local election victory in December 2025.