Pressure has intensified to remove the head of Peru’s electoral authority as delays and alleged irregularities cloud the Peru presidential vote count.
- Frontrunner: Conservative Keiko Fujimori leads with 17% of the vote.
- The Race for Second: Leftist Roberto Sanchez (12%) and ultraconservative Rafael Lopez Aliaga (11.9%) remain locked in a close battle.
- Legal Action: The National Jury of Elections has filed a criminal complaint against ONPE head Piero Corvetto.
Battle for the Presidential Run-off
With 93.3 percent of ballots counted, Keiko Fujimori remains firmly in first place, positioning her for the run-off election scheduled for June 7.
The race for the second spot is currently separated by approximately 13,000 votes. Roberto Sanchez holds 12.0 percent of the vote, while former Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga follows closely with 11.9 percent.
According to the election-monitoring group Transparencia, the final results could take up to two weeks to be fully determined.
Allegations of Electoral Irregularities
The National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) reported that roughly 5 percent of ballots are undergoing review due to errors in polling station records or missing information. These ballots will be processed by a special electoral jury.
Concerns grew after police discovered materials from four polling stations on a public road in Lima on Thursday. While the ONPE stated those votes had already been recorded, the incident added to mounting tensions.
Piero Corvetto, head of the ONPE, previously acknowledged logistical delays in Lima that necessitated a one-day extension of voting. These delays prompted fraud allegations from Rafael Lopez Aliaga, who demanded a suspension of the count.
Political and Legal Fallout
Business leaders and lawmakers have called for Corvetto’s resignation to ensure a new leader oversees the second round. Jorge Zapata, head of the business chamber CONFIEP, emphasized that “errors this serious have consequences.”
Peru’s top electoral court, the National Jury of Elections, has filed a criminal complaint against Corvetto, alleging violations of voting rights. Corvetto has denied that any irregularities occurred.
Despite the domestic turmoil, European Union election observers stated this week that they found no evidence of fraud.
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