NPR
Peru election results delayed after thousands get a one-day voting extension
+552 words added -381 words removed
− By
The Associated Press
Voters line up outside a polling station during general elections in Lima, Peru, Sunday, April 12, 2026.
+ By
The Associated Press
Voters line up as voting resumes at a polling stations affected by delays during general elections in Lima, Peru, Monday, April 13, 2026.
− Guadalupe Pardo/AP hide caption
LIMA, Peru — Thousands of Peruvians were back at the polls on Monday for a second day of voting after failure to deliver ballots to voting centers extended Sunday's election by a day.
+ Martin Mejia/AP hide caption
LIMA, Peru — Peruvians still did not know Monday night the outcome of Sunday's presidential election after the failure to deliver ballots to voting centers forced authorities to extend voting by a day, but early results showed two right-wing candidates were ahead.
− The Americas Peru's election: A battle for the Presidency amid political chaos and crime Electoral authorities granted the one-day extension to more than 52,000 voters in Peru's capital, Lima.
+ The Americas Peru's election: A battle for the Presidency amid political chaos and crime Keiko Fujimori, the conservative daughter of a disgraced former president, and Rafael López Aliaga, the ultra conservative former mayor of Peru's capital, Lima, lead the pack of 35 candidates with 62% of ballots tallied.
− Peruvians registered to vote in Orlando, Florida, and Paterson, New Jersey, were also allowed to vote Monday for similar reasons.
+ Official results showed Fujimori had received 16.88% of the votes tallied, while López Aliaga earned 13.88%.
+ Electoral authorities counted votes throughout Monday even though thousands of Peruvians were back at the polls for a second day of voting. Authorities granted the one-day extension for more than 52,000 voters in Lima as well as to Peruvians registered to vote in Orlando, Florida, and Paterson, New Jersey.
− A former minister, a comedian and a political dynasty heiress are among 35 candidates vying to become Peru's ninth president in just 10 years.
The election comes as a surge in violent crime and corruption has fueled widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency.
+ "I'm fed up," Iris Valle, 56, said as she waited to vote Monday at a public school in Lima.
− Many of the contenders have responded to the crime concerns with wide-ranging proposals, including building megaprisons, restricting food for prisoners and reinstating the death penalty for serious crimes.
+ She feared that her employer would cut her pay for not showing up early because she had to meet her voting obligation.
− A voter looks at a ballot before marking his candidates during general elections in Lima, Peru, on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
+ A presidential candidate needs more than 50% of votes to win outright.
− Martin Mejia/AP hide caption
Nurse Heidy Justiniano had not decided who to vote for while already in line outside a public school in Lima.
+ However, a runoff in June is virtually assured given the deeply divided electorate and the pool of candidates, the largest in the Andean country's history. The winner will be Peru's ninth president in just 10 years.
− "There's so much crime, so many robberies on every corner; a bus driver was killed.
+ The election took place amid a surge in violent crime and corruption that has fueled widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency.
Many of the contenders responded to the crime concerns with wide-ranging proposals, including building megaprisons, restricting food for prisoners and reinstating the death penalty for serious crimes.
An election official checks voter lists as voting resumes at polling stations affected by delays and logistical problems during general elections in Lima, Peru, Monday, April 13, 2026.
− What matters most to us right now is safety, the lives of every person," Justiniano, 33, said.
+ Guadalupe Pardo/AP hide caption
Peru's economy, however, has defied both the crime surge and the political instability stemming from a revolving door of presidents, having had three since October alone.
− "Politicians don't always keep their promises. This time, we have to choose our president wisely so that he can improve Peru."
More than 27 million people are registered to vote. Of those, about 1.2 million cast ballots abroad, mainly in the United States and Argentina.
+ Aided by its status as the world's second-largest copper producer, the country posted more than 3% growth in 2024 and 2025.
− A presidential candidate needs more than 50% of votes to win outright.
+ In her fourth bid for the presidency, Fujimori has promised to crack down on crime with an iron fist, but she has also defended laws that experts say make it difficult to prosecute criminals.
− However, a runoff in June is virtually assured given the deeply divided electorate and the pool of candidates, the largest in the Andean country's history.
+ The laws, which her party backed in recent years, eliminated preliminary detention in certain cases and raised the threshold for seizing criminal assets.
− Voters are also being asked to choose the members of a bicameral Congress for the first time in more than 30 years, following recent legislative reforms that concentrate significant power in the new upper chamber.
+ If elected, she has said judges presiding over criminal cases will be anonymous and prisoners will have to work to earn their food.
+ Meanwhile, López Aliaga has proposed building prisons in the country's Amazon region, allowing judges to conceal their identities and expelling foreigners who are living illegally in Peru.
Voters were also asked to choose the members of a bicameral Congress for the first time in more than 30 years, following recent legislative reforms that concentrate significant power in the new upper chamber.