Peru’s Electoral Chaos Is an Ugly Regional Omen

Everything that could go wrong with Peru’s election did. Late-arriving ballots at several polling stations triggered a cascade of missteps by the electoral authority, culminating in the dramatic resignation of its chief with the cycle still unfinished.

More than two weeks after the vote, 4% of ballots remain uncounted due to challenges, while the candidates battling for the second spot in a June runoff — radical leftist Roberto Sánchez and right-wing populist Rafael López Aliaga — are separated by roughly 24,000 votes. Final results may not be ready until mid-May, once all contested tally sheets are reviewed, a delay that pours gasoline on an already combustive political moment. Fraud allegations, manipulation claims and calls to annul the vote are mounting. Whatever the outcome, the losing side is almost certain to cry foul, raising the risk of social unrest.