Peru Presidential Election Vote Count Delayed, Thousands Protest

According to AFP reports from Lima on April 19th, at least 3,000 Peruvians demonstrated in the capital, demanding the final presidential election vote count. Conservative candidate Rafael Lopez Aliaga, currently in third place, has accused the election of fraud. The National Election Procedures Office (ONPE) has faced accusations of irregularities and fraud due to logistical chaos in ballot delivery and other operations. Now, supporters of the far-right candidate Aliaga, along with several civil groups, have taken to the streets, demanding their votes be respected. Demonstrators gathered near the ONPE, waving flags and banners, shouting slogans like "Reject fraud, respect the vote." Edith Valverde, a 64-year-old voter, told AFP, "This election is already fraudulent, but the authorities refuse to admit it; we will fight for our votes to the end." An official stated yesterday that due to chaotic voting operations and a tight race, the first-round results of the presidential election would be delayed until mid-May. According to AFP, 93.4% of ballots have been counted so far, with Japanese-Peruvian right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori temporarily leading with 17% of the support. The top two finishers from the first round will advance to a runoff election in June. Left-wing candidate Roberto Sanchez has received 12% of the votes and is currently in second place, while Aliaga is closely behind in third with 11.9%, creating a tight race. Aliaga, a former mayor of Lima, has been the most vocal critic of the delayed counting. He has accused the election of fraud without evidence and called for the election to be invalidated. The election process was initially chaotic due to the delayed delivery of ballots to some polling stations in Lima, requiring voting to be extended until April 20th. Despite this, the European Union's election observation mission gave a positive assessment of the election. Peru has a history of political instability, with four of its last eight presidents being impeached by Congress. The April presidential election saw a record 35 candidates competing. (Compiled by: Chi Chin-ling) 2026-04-20