Peru Presidential Election Extended to Second Day After Ballot Delivery Failures

Peru's presidential election was extended to Monday after tens of thousands of voters among 27 million eligible Peruvians could not cast ballots due to a contractor's failure to deliver voting materials on time, causing polling stations to open late or not at all. Early counts show conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori, running for the fourth time after three previous defeats, leading with 16.6% in a crowded field of 35 candidates, followed closely by right-wing former Lima mayor Rafael López Aliaga. With no candidate near the 50% threshold needed to win outright, a June 7 run-off is almost certain. The election comes amid political instability that has seen six presidents resign, be ousted, or impeached in the last decade, with voters demanding action on corruption and rising crime including widespread extortion.

Ballot delivery failures and voting extension

• ▪Voters who experienced problems in Lima and at polling stations abroad in Orlando, Florida and Paterson, New Jersey were able to cast their ballots on Monday
• ▪Around 27 million Peruvians were called on to vote in the general election
• ▪Peru's electoral authorities granted a one-day extension to more than 50,000 voters who could not cast their ballots on Sunday
• ▪The company hired to deliver voting material in Peru failed to do so in time
• ▪Voting is mandatory for Peruvians aged between 18 and 70

Presidential race dynamics and leading candidates

• ▪Keiko Fujimori is running for president for the fourth time
• ▪All candidates in Peru's presidential election are far short of the 50% of votes needed to win outright
• ▪A run-off between the top two candidates in Peru's presidential election on June 7 is almost certain
• ▪Both Keiko Fujimori and Rafael López Aliaga promised to use an iron fist to tackle Peru's crime wave
• ▪A total of 35 candidates are running for president in Peru's general election
• ▪Keiko Fujimori's father Alberto Fujimori was convicted of crimes against humanity
• ▪A preliminary count of half the votes cast in Peru's general election put conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori slightly ahead of Rafael López Aliaga
• ▪Keiko Fujimori was beaten in the previous three presidential run-offs

Peru's political instability and governance challenges

• ▪José María Balcázar is Peru's current president at age 83
• ▪José María Balcázar has been Peru's president since February
• ▪Ollanta Humala was the last president of Peru to serve out his term in full, governing from 2011 to 2016