Key facts
- Peru's presidential election runoff is awaiting the review of over 1,600 contested ballots.
- The initial vote count shows a margin of just over 1,000 votes between the two candidates.
- Ballots from 1,600+ polling stations, representing about 400,000 votes, are subject to review.
- Nullity petitions filed by one campaign were dismissed due to incomplete paperwork.
- The electoral authorities expect to declare an official winner by July 15.
Peru's presidential election outcome remains undecided as electoral authorities meticulously review contested ballots following a close initial count. With a margin of just over 1,000 votes separating the two candidates, the process of examining over 1,600 polling stations' results is expected to be lengthy and closely watched.
Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori finished the initial tally with 9,036,046 votes, or 50.004%, while leftist Roberto Sanchez secured 9,034,743 votes, or 49.996%. A significant portion of the ballots flagged for review are from Lima, a region that strongly favored Fujimori, as well as overseas votes, intensifying the focus on this review stage.
Votes are sent for review when tally sheets contain errors, illegible writing, or other inconsistencies. Party election observers can also challenge results, feeding into this process. A three-member special electoral jury examines these sheets; simple accounting errors can be resolved directly, while more complex cases may lead to public hearings and potential appeals to the top electoral court.
Nullity petitions filed by Sanchez's party seeking to annul results from approximately 2,400 polling stations were dismissed by an election panel due to incomplete paperwork. These requests cannot be resubmitted as the deadline has passed.
Peru's electoral authorities anticipate declaring an official winner by July 15, though the final result could become clearer sooner if one candidate gains a significant lead as reviewed votes are incorporated into the official tally.