The elections in Peru, far from being a democratic celebration, are a tragicomedy that has kept the citizenry paralyzed since Sunday. In these four days, not only has the rival of Keiko Fujimori (Fuerza Popular) in the second round not been clearly defined, but a climate of maximum tension has been stirred up, exacerbated by candidates who refuse to accept the result of the slow progress of the counts.
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The ultraconservative Rafael López Aliaga (Renovación Popular) was in second place in the first snapshot on Sunday, but began a slow decline that plunged him into despair. On Tuesday he called for a sit-in in front of the National Jury of Elections in Lima, where he urged his followers to take to the streets so that “they do not steal their freedom.” He also launched a homophobic attack against the president of the National Jury of Elections, Roberto Burneo, whom he threatened to violate with a turtle if he did not annul the elections. “If you do not declare this crap [the election result] null, Mr. Burneo, prepare for your own Morrocoy plan. You’re going to have it very big. A huge morrocoy so you behave like a man. You already know where I’m going to put it. We’re going to put the morrocoy in you, you already know where,” he insulted him. The Morrocoy plan is an alleged strategy to sabotage elections that was used in Venezuela.
The leftist Roberto Sánchez (Juntos por el Perú), who has run a campaign emulating former president Pedro Castillo — imprisoned since 2022 for attempting a self-coup — climbed from sixth to second place in a comeback that much of the capital has perceived with astonishment, fear, and anger. The vote from the most remote areas of Peru put him within reach of a second round, scheduled for June 7.
However, during the early hours of this Thursday, López Aliaga has begun to reverse the trend. With 92.9% of the ballots counted by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), the gap with Sánchez has been reduced to just seven thousand votes. Castillo’s political heir records 11.978% while the former mayor of Lima has 11.919%. It is a photo finish that keeps Peruvians expectant, constantly refreshing the ONPE website.
Rafael López Aliaga, however, is determined to muddy the electoral process. Not only did he claim that “fraud was underway” in the weeks prior to the contest, but this Thursday he issued a statement offering money to any electoral official who provided him with proof to support his accusations. He had put 20,000 soles (5,714 dollars) on the table as a reward and an email called “sabotage.” Hours later he deleted the message on social media.
Perhaps the deleted reward is related to the alert expressed by former congressman Sergio Tejada, who said that López Aliaga would be committing a crime with his offer. “If a worker of the ONPE or the National Jury of Elections has proof of fraud, they are obliged to report it. If someone offers money to perform and omit acts inherent to the position, they are committing bribery and it is typified in the penal code,” he stated.
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Human Rights Defender Julissa Mantilla questions those who supported a candidate who has lost his temper. “He stands on a platform shouting fraud and threatening sexual assault against the president of the National Jury of Elections. Now he offers to pay anyone who gives him proof of the fraud he supposedly clearly has. The problem is not him but that there are people who feel that someone like that represents them and that they do not deserve something better,” she says. In recent hours López Aliaga has been criminally charged for his call to insurrection by a couple of lawyers.
The elections had setbacks. Due to negligence in the installation of more than 200 polling stations, more than 63,000 people were left unable to vote, forcing the National Jury of Elections to extend the process until Monday. Despite this, the European Union Election Observation Mission has denied finding any traces of alleged fraud. This is the same position shared by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Ombudsman’s Office.
Just as the rural vote allowed Roberto Sánchez to momentarily displace López Aliaga, the vote from abroad could resolve the controversy. With 68% of the ballots counted, the far-right candidate has the support of 55,323 votes while the leftist has 5,315 votes. There the trend is favorable to López Aliaga, who has only obtained a majority in Lima unlike his rival whose support has extended to almost all of the south and much of the north of Peru.
Former president José Jerí, removed in February after four months in office due to fraudulent meetings, has expressed his preference for López Aliaga, whose party will be one of the most influential forces in the next Parliament. “Thinking about the country, beyond disagreements, I hope he makes it to the second round,” he has expressed.
