LIMA, Peru — Officials in Peru now have a firm deadline to complete their presidential election vote counting after the country’s electoral tribunal established May 15 as the final date for results.
The electoral tribunal announced Monday that Peru’s elections agency ONPE must publish complete vote tallies by that date and identify the two candidates who will compete in the runoff election.
The April 12 election featured more than 30 presidential hopefuls, with the top two vote-getters scheduled to face off in a June 7 runoff since no candidate secured a majority of votes.
The race has been complicated by an extremely narrow gap between the second and third-place finishers, along with voting irregularities that required some polling locations in Lima to remain open an extra day.
Election officials continue processing vote tallies from distant regions and overseas consulates. ONPE must now examine hundreds of tally sheets that electoral observers have disputed.
Current results with 93.5% of ballots tallied show conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori in the lead with 17.05% of votes, making her advancement to June’s runoff nearly certain.
Nationalist congressman Roberto Sánchez, who previously served as a minister under former President Pedro Castillo before his imprisonment, holds second place with 12% of votes. Ultra-conservative Rafael López Aliaiga, Lima’s former mayor, trails closely behind with 11.91%.
The eventual winner will become Peru’s ninth president within a decade, taking over from José María Balcázar, who assumed the interim presidency in February. Balcázar replaced another temporary leader who was removed due to corruption charges after serving only four months.
