Entering politics through the
Lima City Council in 2007, López Aliaga maintained a low profile until 2019, when he was elected to the general secretaryship of
National Solidarity in September 2019. Following the dissolution of the
Peruvian Congress, his party was set to run at the
2020 parliamentary election. Initially a moderate conservative, López Aliaga adopted a
conservative platform. He also ran for a seat in Congress in 2011 under the
National Solidarity Alliance, but he was unsuccessful.
2021 Peruvian presidential election During the 2020 campaign, López Aliaga announced his intention to run for
President of Peru at the
2021 general election, stating in a televised interview that he considered himself to be "the Peruvian
Bolsonaro". Following his party's poor results at the
2020 parliamentary election, he announced an organizational re-foundation. In October 2020, López Aliaga officially founded
Popular Renewal, effectively dissolving
National Solidarity by changing the registered organization's name and platform. Assuming the position of party president, he stated that the party is "re-founded with principles of solidarity and anchored in God, Christ." He campaigns on a
neoliberal platform on economic issues and a conservative one on societal issues. A member of
Opus Dei, he is sometimes described as a
religious fundamentalist. He calls for a ban on
sex education in colleges, which he sees as a form of "
cultural Marxism" promoting homosexuality, a ban on
abortion, including in cases of rape or danger to the life of the mother, and a ban on gay marriage. As part of his campaign, he stated the voting in 2021 would be "the last free election in Peru" and "if we don't go well, this will be Venezuela or Cuba, remember me". He also blamed presidents
Martín Vizcarra and
Francisco Sagasti for Peru's economic issues, describing the Vizcarra administration as a "communist style of the government" and called Sagasti a "clown". In an interview conducted on January 19, 2021 on the
ATV channel, he generated controversy with the metaphorical opinion he provided regarding his stance against abortion in rape cases. The words he mentioned were: "I am a hotelier. I have five-star hotels, for me to give a 5-star hotel as a home for a girl is to give her the most affection I can." On February 19, 2021, the Special Electoral Jury (JEE) initiated a sanctioning process against the candidacy of Rafael López Aliaga for violating electoral propaganda regulations. This measure was approved because the applicant said that upon reaching the presidency "he will donate his salary to charitable organizations". He was temporarily disqualified from the presidential election on 25 February 2021 for alleged vote-buying based on his statement that if he was elected President, he will donate his salary to charity.
Hernando de Soto, his political rival in the 2021 elections, appeared at the demonstration outside the JNE, where López Aliaga was, whom he praised. On March 12, 2021, he presented his technical team, which included former ministers Alfonso Miranda Eyzaguirre, Carlos Herrera Descalzi, Alfonso Velásquez Tuesta, former Vice Minister Eduardo Ponce Vivanco, former Vice President of the Republic,
Máximo San Román, the former parliamentarian
Fabiola Morales, the former president of the Judiciary Javier Villa Stein, the former director general of the Police José Tisoc Lindley, among others.
2022 Lima mayoral election In the aftermath of the first round of the
2021 general election, López Aliaga confirmed his bid for
mayor of Lima in the upcoming
2022 mayoral election. Leading the polls early into the election, López Aliaga trailed behind former congressman and Interior minister,
Daniel Urresti, who ran for a second time for the mayorship following his defeat to
Jorge Muñoz at the
2018 Lima municipal election. As part of his campaign, López Aliaga promised to fight crime with support of the reservists group of the
Peruvian Armed Forces, in addition to calling for a radical reform of the capital's transportation system. His campaign was managed by former right-wing congressmen
Julio Gagó and
Renzo Reggiardo, with the latter running for lieutenant mayor. At the election,
Popular Renewal placed first by receiving 26.35% of the popular vote, claiming victory for López Aliaga, in addition winning twelve districts of the capital. In contrast to previous municipal elections, no winning candidate for
mayor of Lima since 1963 had been elected by less than 30% of the vote, making him the least voted winner in the history of the capital. In April 2023, an
Ipsos poll showed that 49% of respondents disapproved of López Aliaga, compared to a 40% approval rate.
2026 Peruvian presidential election In October 2025, López Aliaga resigned as mayor of Lima to campaign in the
Peruvian general election scheduled for 12 April 2026. He is considered an early frontrunner in the presidential race. ==Ideology and views==