Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores, 45, has been elected mayor of Queropalca, Peru, after winning the election by just 25 votes. He secured 229 votes, 25 more than his closest rival, Gaspar Benilde Osario Zambrano of the right-wing Popular Renewal party.
Left-of-centre candidate wins despite name
Despite carrying the names of fascist dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, Flores ran on a left-of-centre ticket as a member of the Ahora Nacion (Now Nation) party. He won with 34% of the vote in the mayoral district in Huánuco, north of Lima, which has an estimated population of just over 730.
Flores, a former manager of the Simeon Sac Investment Group, previously belonged to the Popular Force party, a populist movement led by Peru's president, Keiko Fujimori. His campaign focused on agricultural development and improving road infrastructure in the rural location.
Not the first 'Hitler' to win in Peru
This is not the first time a candidate named Hitler has won an election in Peru. Hitler Alba, a member of the right-wing We are Peru party, served as mayor of the small Andean town of Yungar between 2011 and 2014.
In 2018, Alba contested elections against Lennin Vladimir Rodriguez Valverde, a contest that went viral as it was dubbed a clash between Hitler and Lenin. Alba called himself "the good Hitler" and used the campaign slogans "Hitler returns" and "Hitler with the people".
"Maybe it's a coincidence that my name is Hitler," Alba told local media at the time. "I really don't have any objection to Hitler. It's like any other name. For me, it's as if my name was Juan, Lucas, or Sebastian." He claimed his father did not know about the Nazi dictator's legacy when he named him.
Thousands named Hitler in Peru
It is not unusual in Peru and other South American countries to use historical figures for children's names. According to records from the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (Reniec) based on 2023 figures, more than 3,900 people officially bear the name Hitler in Peru. There are also 99 people registered as "Adolfo Hitler" and three under the name "Adolf Hitler".
