Election day in Peru: Nine regions will go to a runoff to define governors
The political landscape in Peru following the recent election day reveals that at least nine of the country’s twenty-five regions will have to head to a runoff. This measure is taken because no candidate reached the minimum threshold of 30% of valid votes required to be declared the winner in the first round, according to exit poll data.
According to the polling firm Datum, only three regions have managed to define their next governors for the 2027-2030 period. These are Callao, Madre de Dios, and Apurímac, where the winning candidates surpassed the necessary percentage with a significant lead over their opponents.
Defined results and disputed regions
The candidates who have secured their victory in their respective jurisdictions are:
- Callao: Pedro Spadaro, from the Renovación Popular party.
- Madre de Dios: Simón Horna, from the Ahora Nación party.
- Apurímac: Guido Chahuaylla, from the Progresemos party.
On the other hand, the situation in other areas of the Peruvian territory remains under analysis. While in Ayacucho the result is uncertain due to the margin of error, in Cusco, former presidential candidate Verónika Mendoza leads with 33.7% of the votes, according to preliminary estimates.
Regions that will go to a runoff
The regions where a second election will be held are Amazonas, Áncash, Arequipa, Ica, La Libertad, Lima, Moquegua, Piura, and Tumbes. Additionally, there are twelve other regions (Pasco, Cajamarca, Huancavelica, Huánuco, Junín, Lambayeque, Loreto, Cusco, Puno, San Martín, Tacna, and Ucayali) where the results are at a critical point, hovering around the 30% threshold and subject to more precise official confirmation.
The National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) has proposed that the runoff election be held on December 6, with the aim of guaranteeing the logistics and deployment of the necessary electoral material throughout the country.
Development of the democratic day
More than 26.3 million citizens were called to the polls to elect their regional and local authorities. Despite the importance of the process, the day passed mostly normally. The only incident reported was an explosive attack at a school in Sorocucho, in the Cajamarca region, which caused a fire and forced authorities to suspend voting in that town as a precautionary measure.
