Peru's Vote Count Stretches Into Fourth Day as Fraud Claims Mount

Three days after Peru's general election on April 13, ballot counting remained incomplete on April 15, with about 90 percent of votes tallied and the race for second place still undecided. Leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez moved into second position with 12.04 percent of the vote, narrowly ahead of far-right former Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga at 11.9 percent, while right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori led with 17 percent. Multiple candidates have claimed fraud without presenting evidence, intensifying public skepticism about the electoral process.

The election on April 13 was marred by logistical failures including long lines and delayed ballot deliveries, prompting authorities to extend voting by one day in some areas. The delays and incomplete results have fueled candidates' fraud allegations. Lopez Aliaga demanded on April 14 that electoral authorities declare the results null and void within 24 hours, threatening to call for nationwide protests if they refused. Sanchez, by contrast, said he was "proceeding calmly, with composure" and stated that "the ballot papers do not lie."

Voters expressed frustration with the drawn-out process. Yeraldine Garrido, a 35-year-old receptionist in Lima, told AFP: "We don't know if the results are true." Iris Valle told The Associated Press she was frustrated at having to return a second day to vote, saying "I'm fed up."

Election observers have found no concrete evidence of fraud. Annalisa Corrado, head of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Peru, said on April 14 that observers have "not found objective elements to support the narrative of fraud," though she acknowledged "serious problems" with logistics, particularly in Lima.

Only the top two finishers from a record field of 35 candidates will advance to a June 7 runoff. Fujimori's 17 percent lead makes her near-certain to advance, but the second-place position remains contested between Sanchez and Lopez Aliaga, separated by just 0.14 percentage points.

Context

Peru has experienced severe political instability. The country cycled through nine presidents in 10 years, most recently after left-wing leader Pedro Castillo, who won the 2022 election, attempted to dissolve Congress in December 2023 after facing impeachment hearings. He was imprisoned, and his two successors—Dina Boluarte and Jose Jeri—were removed from office over corruption charges.

Public confidence in democratic institutions has eroded . A March 2026 poll by the Institute for Peruvian Studies and the Institute Bartolome de las Casas found that 84 percent of respondents were unsatisfied or unsatisfied with how democracy was functioning. Some 68 percent said they had little to no trust in electoral oversight bodies like the National Office of Electoral Processes and National Jury of Elections. Roughly 69 percent of respondents rated the current crisis as equal to or worse than previous periods of crisis, including Peru's 1990s civil conflict, hyperinflation, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

What's Next

The incomplete count has created a window for unsubstantiated fraud claims to circulate without resolution. With Sanchez and Lopez Aliaga separated by fewer than 15,000 votes (based on 90 percent of ballots counted), the final tallies over the next 24 to 48 hours will determine which candidate faces Fujimori in the June 7 runoff. Lopez Aliaga's threat of nationwide protests if results are not annulled could mobilize opposition regardless of the final count, potentially destabilizing the transition to the second round.