Peruvian citizens exercise their right to vote. Photo: PL.
With 93.34% of the ballots processed by the ONPE, blank and null votes in the Peruvian presidential elections exceed each of the candidates.
Blank and null votes in Peru’s presidential elections have surpassed 3 million, a figure higher than the votes received by right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori, who leads the official count by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) with 93.34% of the votes tallied.
Between these two categories, 3,142,121 votes have been registered, equivalent to 16.63% of the total cast, while Fujimori has obtained 2,685,995 votes (14.22% of the total), representing 17.05% of valid votes.
The breakdown indicates that blank votes reach 2,197,516 (11.63%) and null votes total 944,605 (5%). This situation was influenced by the field of 35 presidential candidates, which fragmented the electorate to the point that the sum of blank and null votes exceeded the individual votes for each candidate.
Blank votes alone surpassed 34 of the 35 candidates, and null votes exceeded 29 candidates. Peruvian electoral law establishes that elections can only be annulled if null votes reach two-thirds of the total votes cast, a threshold not reached in this process.
Text reads:
“The Electoral Observation Mission of the OAS recognized the effort made by the electoral bodies to remedy the operational deficiencies presented on election day”.
Turbulent Elections
More than 27.3 million Peruvians were called to elect authorities for the 2026-2031 term, in a context of political instability marked by eight presidents in the last decade.
The election day saw delays in the opening of polling stations in Lima due to logistical problems in the distribution of electoral materials, forcing thirteen schools to open on Monday. These incidents prompted accusations of fraud by the far-right candidate Rafael López Aliaga (Popular Renewal), though no evidence was presented. Electoral observation missions determined that the setbacks did not affect the outcome, deeming the process credible and transparent.
So far, only Fujimori has secured his place in the second round, scheduled for June 7. The final race will be between the leftist Roberto Sánchez (Together for Peru) and the ultraconservative López Aliaga, according to official vote count data.
(Telesur) by HGV
