Peruvian democracy faces low levels of institutional legitimacy, a weak party system and the recurrent appearance of outsiders in the political arena. The performance of the economy presents better indicators than the Latin American average, and, at the same time, the country suffers from high levels of social discomfort, expressed through the preference for anti-system candidates, and increasing levels of social conflict. This article argues that the legacy of the
structural reforms implemented by Fujimori has generated a “neo-dualist” situation, where a modern and growing sector that supports moderate policies coexists with a marginalized sector that sympathizes with anti-system rhetoric.