Peru: right-wing candidate López Aliaga demands the annulment of the first electoral round and calls for national protests

Right-wing candidate Rafael Lopez Aliaga gathered hundreds of supporters in the streets of Lima on Tuesday and issued an ultimatum to the electoral authorities: he gave them 24 hours to annul the first round of the presidential elections for alleged irregularities and what he considered "electoral fraud."

Lopez Aliaga is competing in a tight three-way race for second place that will allow him to contest the June runoff against the favorite, conservative Keiko Fujimori.

"I give them 24 hours to declare this electoral fraud null and void," declared Lopez Aliaga surrounded by several hundred supporters. "If tomorrow they don't declare it null and void, I will call for a national protest."

The former Lima mayor, who has positioned himself as a leading right-wing figure, saw his initial lead over leftist former minister Roberto Sanchez and social democrat Jorge Nieto shrink as the vote count progressed.

With more than 80% of the precincts processed, Keiko Fujimori was leading with around 17% of the votes, while López Aliaga barely surpassed 13% and Sánchez was around 11%. Projections by the Ipsos institute indicate that Sanchez would be on track to qualify for the second round together with Fujimori.

López Aliaga stood by his complaints. Speaking to reporters, he reiterated that the electoral body must "act, declare this entire process null and void, or find a way to resolve it." In response to a question from AFP, he explicitly confirmed he is seeking the full annulment of the first round and urged his supporters to take to the streets.

"Don't let them steal our future," the candidate wrote on his Facebook account.

Operational irregularities, but no evidence of electoral manipulation

The election was marked by significant logistical problems. Voting was extended into Monday in several areas of Lima due to delays in the delivery of ballots and election materials, leaving tens of thousands of people unable to vote.

Although election observers acknowledged the dysfunctional nature of the process, they agreed that they found no concrete evidence of systematic fraud.

For his part, Roberto Sanchez, one of the main people affected by Lopez Aliaga's statements, called for calm and respect for the result. In an interview with AFP, the leftist candidate affirmed: "One can win or lose. And that must be accepted because those are the rules of the game." Sanchez called for "respect for the popular vote."