Urbi et Orbi: Local Power and National Aspiration in Peru's Populist Radical Right

How does the populist radical right (PRR) use local office to pursue national political ambitions? This article analyzes the case of Rafael López Aliaga, mayor of Lima and leader of Peru’s PRR party Popular Renewal. Drawing on a qualitative analysis of 21 televised interviews from his first two years in office, we argue that López Aliaga employs PRR rhetoric—combining populist and ultra-conservative themes—to project national ambitions while establishing local credibility through mano dura policy claims. We show that such rhetoric enables a dual strategy: speaking to national-level grievances while building a local record. This confirms that Popular Renewal is best classified as a PRR actor, not merely an authoritarian-conservative force. In fragmented party systems, this rhetorical approach may offer PRR politicians an effective path to national prominence. We support this analysis with additional evidence from elite interviews with party members.