Peruvian leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez (left) and right-wing candidate Rafael López Aliaga (right). Photo: Reuters/Wikimedia Commons.
On Wednesday, April 22, left-wing Peruvian parties held a sit-in in Lima outside the National Jury of Elections (JNE) to condemn the right-wing demand for supplementary elections in the capital. They are highlighting that the right is alleging a premeditated fraud in the April 12 elections without evidence.
The mobilization came after the right-wing presidential candidate from the Popular Renewal party, Rafael López Aliaga, requested that the JNE hold supplementary elections only in the capital, his principal electoral stronghold. He alleged that electoral material arrived late, causing voters to leave the polling stations without voting in the early hours.
The proposal aims to influence the outcome of the second round. It is also supported by the far-right candidate Keiko Fujimori, who recieved 17% of valid votes (at 94.31% of votes counted). Currently, the leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez has recieved 12% of the votes, followed by López Aliaga with 11.9%.
Sánchez’s lawyer, Roy Mendoza, accompanied by supporters from multiple left-wing parties, declared that if the JNE calls for supplementary elections in Lima, it would be yielding to pressure and electoral extortion from “certain political parties.” He pointed out that holding a supplementary election would lack a legal basis and represent a regrettable situation for democracy.
Ruth Luque, a congresswoman and Senate candidate for the center-left party Ahora Nación, expressed a categorical condemnation of any authoritarian discourse that intends to capture fundamental institutions, undermining autonomy and respect for the people’s will.
She declared that by considering this measure, the JNE would reach an illegal and unconstitutional decision that would lead to social confrontation.
Luque stated that López Aliaga is disregarding the electoral results and is trying to prevent the left-wing party Together for Peru, a political force that “has earned its right and represents the votes of the most vulnerable sectors of the country,” from reaching the second round.
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The secretary of doctrine of Ahora Nación, Carlo Magno Salcedo, stated that the supplementary elections proposed by the right cannot be considered legal under any electoral regulation and distort the popular will by potentially changing the result of the April 12 elections, which would imply “a serious threat to democracy.”
At the same time, the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) faces serious scrutiny over the delay in declaring the official results of Peru’s general elections.
This delay creates a climate of uncertainty and exacerbates calls for greater transparency, intensifying the public and political debate over which candidates will advance to the second round.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
