In the Congressional elections, Popular Force won in a landslide, receiving more than a third of the vote and winning an absolute majority of 73 out of 130 seats.

On 13 November 2015, incumbent President Ollanta Humala called for a general election to be held on 10 April 2016.

The 130 members of the Congress of the Republic were elected in 25 multi-member constituencies using open list proportional representation.

In March 2016, presidential candidates Julio Guzmán from All for Peru and César Acuña Peralta from Alliance for Progress were barred from the elections; Guzmán due to a violation of party rules in the party's internal election and Acuña Peralta due to monetary giveaways during a campaign rally, a violation of an electoral law enacted by Congress in November 2015.

She was viewed unfavorably by a number of people who oppose Fujimori for human rights abuses and corrupt practices, and who feared that her victory would mark a return of Fujimorismo.

Mendoza, who placed third and could not stand in the runoff election, gave her full endorsement to Kuczynski, in order to prevent Fujimori's victory.

Exit polls indicated that Pedro Pablo Kuczynski held a slight lead over Keiko Fujimori.