Police raid Peru’s election authorities after outcry over slow vote count | Elections News
Police Raid Homes of Election Officials Amid Ongoing Presidential Election Controversy in Peru
LIMA, Peru — Police in Lima have executed a search warrant at the home of Piero Corvetto, the former head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), as frustrations mount following the presidential election held on April 12. The official results of the election have yet to be finalized, leading to increased scrutiny and allegations of irregularities.
Delays in ballot deliveries resulted in extended voting periods in some regions, which has fueled accusations of misconduct. However, an election monitoring mission from the European Union reported no evidence of fraud.
According to local broadcaster RPP, anticorruption police entered Corvetto’s residence on Friday to seize mobile phones, laptops, and various documents. In addition, police targeted the homes of five other officials and conducted searches at the offices of Galaga, a private contractor responsible for transporting election ballots.
Corvetto, who resigned earlier this week, has denied any wrongdoing in connection with the election. In a public statement, he expressed hope that his resignation would help restore public trust in the electoral process.
Ricardo Sanchez Carranza, Corvetto’s lawyer, confirmed that while a judge authorized the raid, the court denied prosecutors’ request to place Corvetto in preliminary detention.
The election has also seen its share of controversy, with Rafael Lopez Aliaga, a leading presidential candidate and former mayor of Lima, labeling Corvetto a “criminal” and vowing to pursue legal action against him.
As of now, with 95 percent of ballots counted, right-wing former First Lady Keiko Fujimori leads the race with 17 percent of the vote and is likely to advance to a runoff scheduled for June 7. Lopez Aliaga is currently positioned in third place with 11.9 percent, trailing left-wing congressman Roberto Sanchez, who holds 12.03 percent.
Roughly 20,000 votes separate Sanchez from Lopez Aliaga, who has increasingly characterized the election as illegitimate, though he has not provided substantiating evidence. The candidate described the voting outcome as “electoral fraud unique in the world.”
Final election results are anticipated by May 15.
