Peru election dispute deepens amid slow ballot count

Last updated:
1 hour ago

More than 52,000 voters were allowed to cast ballots on Monday after delivery failures disrupted polling, as supporters of Rafael López Aliaga demanded the resignation of electoral chief Piero Corvetto and counting continued for a third day in Lima.

Partial results from 77 per cent of ballots counted showed Keiko Fujimori in the lead with 16.86 per cent, followed by Rafael López Aliaga and Jorge Nieto, as Peru holds a tightly contested 2026 presidential election with mandatory voting for over 27 million citizens.

An EU observer mission said it had found no evidence of fraud, despite claims by Rafael López Aliaga, who has questioned the integrity of the vote and the handling of postal ballots. The delays recall the 2021 election, when results took five days, and a runoff is expected around 7 June pending official confirmation.