Laura Gamba
16 April 2026•Update: 16 April 2026
A presidential runoff race in Peru tightened into a dead heat Thursday, with 92.99% of ballots processed, businessman Rafael Lopez Aliaga has slashed the lead of rival Roberto Sanchez to more than 8,000 votes -- a dramatic drop from the 30,000-vote gap reported hours earlier.
The latest figures from the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) place Sanchez, of Juntos por el Peru, at 11.97%, while López Aliaga of Renovación Popular follows at 11.92%.
The closing gap is the result of two opposing regional trends. Lopez Aliaga, the former mayor of Lima, has gained significant momentum through the overseas vote, where he currently leads Sanchez by 50,000 votes with 68% of international polling stations tallied.
Sanchez is stemming that advance with strong support from rural provinces. With 5% of all ballots still contested or under observation by special electoral boards, the final occupant of the second-place spot, and the right to face Keiko Fujimori, remains mathematically uncertain.
In an unprecedented move for Peruvian politics, Lopez Aliaga, an outspoken admirer of President Donald Trump, has offered financial rewards for evidence of electoral malfeasance.
Through a public statement, the Renovacion Popular leader offered up to 20,000 soles ($5,400) to election officials or contractors who provide "accurate and verifiable information" about alleged fraud or sabotage. While Lopez Aliaga claims that logistical delays in Lima cost him 500,000 votes, he has yet to present evidence for the figures.
Despite Lopez Aliaga’s demands to suspend the official count, international observers have moved to shore up public confidence in the system. Missions from the EU and the Organization of American States have endorsed the integrity of the process, describing it as transparent despite the widely reported logistical hurdles on election day.
The winner of the statistical tie will face Fujimori, the conservative frontrunner June 7, in an election that will determine the country's leadership through 2031.
