More than a week after Peruvians went to the polls, the country still does not know who will challenge right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori in the second round of its presidential election. Electoral authorities say the final result may not be confirmed until mid-May — leaving less than a month before the runoff, scheduled for 7 June. With 93 percent of ballots counted, Fujimori leads with around 17 percent of the vote, but the race for second place remains extraordinarily tight.

Left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez, the political heir of former president Pedro Castillo — who is currently imprisoned following a failed self-coup attempt in 2022 — holds approximately 12 percent of the vote. Ultra-conservative Rafael López Aliaga, a former mayor of Lima and a member of Opus Dei who has drawn comparisons to Donald Trump, trails narrowly at 11.9 percent. The margin between them stands at roughly 13,600 votes. The delay in finalising results stems partly from the record number of 35 presidential candidates, which produced a ballot sheet 44 centimetres long, and from the need to physically process and digitalise more than 15,000 challenged ballots. Yessica Clavijo, secretary general of the National Jury of Elections (JNE), explained that election boards require several days to scan, analyse and certify each contested tally sheet before results can be made official.

The count has been further complicated by a logistical failure on election day, when 13 polling stations in Lima failed to receive their materials on time, forcing authorities to extend voting into the following day and affecting more than 50,000 voters. International observers from the European Union found no evidence of fraud and said the vote met democratic standards. Nevertheless, López Aliaga has loudly alleged irregularities, called for the entire election to be annulled, and filed dozens of requests to nullify ballot boxes in the province of Cajamarca — a stronghold of his rival Sánchez. He briefly offered a financial reward to electoral workers who could provide proof of irregularities before withdrawing the offer after being warned it could constitute a criminal offence. On Friday, prosecutors raided a warehouse belonging to the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), and four officials were referred to the JNE over alleged voting-rights offences.

The tactics have an uncomfortable precedent. In 2021, Fujimori herself demanded the annulment of roughly 200,000 votes from rural and Andean regions after losing that year's runoff to Castillo. Her request was rejected. That López Aliaga is now targeting the same interior regions — where votes arrive later due to difficult terrain and tend to favour his left-wing opponent — has deepened a sense of political déjà vu in a country where four of its last eight presidents have been impeached. Peru's prolonged political instability has left voters weary, and the prospect of a weeks-long legal battle before the second round is even formally set has done little to restore confidence in its democratic institutions.