A man named Hitler Mussolini has been elected mayor in Peru after defeating a far-right rival in one of the country's most unusual local election results. Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores, 45, won the race for mayor of Queropalca, a remote district in the central Huanuco region, on October 4, 2026, and is due to take office on January 1.
According to Peru's national electoral authority, Flores secured 229 votes out of 663 cast in the October 4 election. His closest rival, Gaspar Osorio, received 204 votes, reflecting a tightly contested race in the Andean community.
The result gained international attention due to Flores' name, which he shares with the infamous European dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Global media outlets quickly picked up the story, highlighting the striking coincidence of the candidate's nomenclature.
The political context of the election is equally striking. Flores ran for the left-wing Ahora Nacion party, defeating a candidate representing the far-right political spectrum in the region.
A businessman in the freight transportation sector, Flores was previously associated with the Popular Force party of Peru's right-wing leader, Keiko Fujimori, until he shifted his political allegiance in 2025. While the victory appears extraordinary to international observers, Peru has a well-documented history of politicians registering unusual baptismal names inspired by historical figures.
In 2021, a doctor named Hitler Saavedra Casternoque was successfully elected to the Peruvian Congress, drawing similar curiosity from foreign news agencies. Furthermore, in 2018, another individual named Hitler Alba Sanchez won a mayoral race in the Andean district of Yungar.
He famously campaigned under the slogan of being 'the good Hitler' to diffuse tensions over his name. Sociologists and political analysts in Lima note that such naming practices often stem from parents selecting foreign or historic-sounding names without necessarily endorsing the ideologies associated with them.
As Flores prepares to assume office on January 1, local residents in Queropalca remain focused on municipal development issues, infrastructure improvements, and economic growth in the remote Huanuco district.