Electoral officials in Peru have begun the extensive process of examining disputed ballots following the completion of initial counting in the nation’s presidential runoff election.
The two candidates remain separated by an extremely narrow gap of approximately 18 million votes cast, making the ballot review process crucial and subject to intense monitoring from both political camps.
The examination is expected to determine Peru’s next leader through a detailed review that could extend for several weeks.
The contested ballots carry significant weight in determining the final outcome. Initial tallying concluded with the candidates divided by slightly more than 1,000 votes, while ballots from over 1,600 polling locations – accounting for roughly 400,000 votes – await examination and have not been included in current totals.
Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori concluded the preliminary count with 9,036,046 votes, representing 50.004% of the total, while leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez received 9,034,743 votes, or 49.996%.
Many of the questioned ballots originate from Lima, where Fujimori performed well, along with overseas ballots that also supported her candidacy. This distribution has prompted both campaigns to concentrate heavily on the review proceedings.
Ballots enter the review process when polling stations complete result forms containing final vote counts for each candidate. Problems such as mathematical mistakes, unreadable handwriting, or other discrepancies trigger a review flag, sending the ballot to a specialized election panel.
Campaign election monitors may also dispute results at polling locations, contributing to the review process. Both campaigns stationed poll watchers throughout the country and internationally.
A three-person specialized electoral panel examines the tally documentation from disputed polling stations. When issues involve straightforward mathematical or transcription errors, the panel can address them directly, allowing the count to join the official tally.
For more complex cases, the panel may schedule a public hearing to investigate further. These sessions are open to the public, with appeals potentially advancing to the supreme electoral court for final resolution.
The complete review process may require several weeks to finish. Peru’s election officials indicated an official winner should be announced by July 15, though results might become apparent earlier if one candidate establishes a clear lead as reviewed votes join the count.
The contested ballot review differs from nullification requests. Beyond the more than 1,600 polling stations marked for review due to tally sheet problems, Sanchez’s party submitted four separate nullity petitions attempting to void results from approximately 2,400 polling stations.
One submission from Sanchez’s campaign aimed to invalidate results from about 1,750 polling stations primarily in Lima, while three additional filings targeted roughly 650 overseas polling stations, mainly in the United States.
An election panel rejected these requests on Friday due to Sanchez’s party failing to provide all necessary documentation.
The party cannot resubmit these requests or file new ones, as the deadline has expired, according to election authorities.
