Roller-coaster vote count as leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez inches into run-off (for now)
Sánchez has moved up from sixth to 2nd place as rural vote finally counted in Peru. Aliaga declares "fraud"
Vote count in the Peruvian elections is moving at a glacial pace, but that isn’t stopping the sense of drama from heightening.
Two days after the first round of the presidential election, it is still unclear who will face Keiko Fujimori, Alberto Fujimori, in the runoff on June 7.
Fujimori’s daughter is the only one with a guaranteed spot in the runoff. With 89.9% of the votes counted, she leads with 16.8% in a field of 35 candidates.
The race for second place, however, is a nail-biter, and has been held, at various times, by three different candidates.
The ultra-right Rafael López Aliaga (Renovación Popular), with 12.2%, was inched out late last night by leftist Roberto Sánchez. Sanchez has benefited from the late counting of rural votes, and has risen steadily and moved from sixth to third place on
In 6th place early Monday morning, with 11.5%, Sánchez (as of this writing) is now holding a razor-thin 7000 vote lead over López Aliaga, meaning he would face off against Fujimori in the second round.
Aliaga has declared the process, which was marred by delays and failure to deliver ballots to polling centers in the capital, Lima, a “fraud,” and promised a “civil rebellion” if elections are not annulled.
About 50,000 people were unable to vote, forcing the authorities to extend balloting in Lima on Monday.
In a speech to supporters Tuesday night Aliaga accused Sánchez of “stealing” elections, even referring to him as “la bestia,” meaning “the beast” or “devil.”
Sánchez is a leftist candidate, and the protege of former President Pedro Castillo, who is currently jailed after an attempted autogolpe in 2022.
Sánchez, a 57-year-old psychologist, has stated that he is committed to “a new Constitution” and a “plurinational state” that shares power with indigenous peoples.
“There is a tremendous desire for change” among marginalized communities, said the congressman and former minister who served under the government of Pedro Castillo.
The European Union Election Observation Mission, which deployed 150 observers across the country, has stated that there is no evidence of irregularities. “The mission has not received sufficient evidence to suggest that the narrative of fraud has any basis,” said the head of the mission, Annalisa Corrado.
The Peruvian election is so close that the two leading polling firms (Ipsos and Datum) have reported different results in their exit polls. While Ipsos placed Roberto Sánchez in second place, Datum placed Rafael López Aliaga in that position. Datum published these figures on Sunday night, disregarding the National Elections Board’s request not to release poll results.
The European Union Election Observation Mission, which deployed 150 observers across the country, criticized delays in Lima but has stated that there is no evidence of irregularities. “The mission has not received sufficient evidence to suggest that the narrative of fraud has any basis,” the head of the mission, Annalisa Corrado, told Spanish newspaper El Pais.
The Peruvian election is so close that the two leading polling firms (Ipsos and Datum) have reported different results in their exit polls. While Ipsos placed Roberto Sánchez in second place, Datum placed Rafael López Aliaga in that position. Datum published these figures on Sunday night, disregarding the National Elections Board’s request not to release poll results.
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