LIMA, Peru — Peruvian voters will have to wait until at least Monday to learn the outcome of Sunday’s presidential election after logistical problems left thousands unable to cast ballots.
Electoral authorities announced a one-day extension allowing more than 52,000 residents of Lima to vote on Monday; the extension also covers Peruvians registered in Orlando, Florida, and Paterson, New Jersey. Officials initially reported 63,300 people could vote Monday but later revised the figure down.
Voting is mandatory for Peruvians ages 18 to 70; failure to vote can carry a fine of up to $32. More than 27 million people are registered to vote, including about 1.2 million who cast ballots abroad, mainly in the United States and Argentina.
Thirty-five candidates are vying to become Peru’s next president — the country’s ninth in a decade — including a former minister, a comedian and a political heiress. A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to win outright, but a June runoff is widely expected given the fragmented field and deep divisions among voters.
The election unfolds amid a surge in violent crime and persistent corruption, issues that have driven voter discontent and shaped campaign agendas. Many contenders have proposed hardline measures to tackle crime, from building “megaprisons” and restricting prisoners’ food to reinstating the death penalty for serious offenses.
Speaking in line outside a Lima polling place, nurse Heidy Justiniano, 33, said safety was her top concern. “There’s so much crime, so many robberies on every corner; a bus driver was killed. What matters most to us right now is safety, the lives of every person,” she said. “Politicians don’t always keep their promises. This time, we have to choose our president wisely so that he can improve Peru.”
Voters were also choosing members of a newly reestablished bicameral Congress for the first time in more than 30 years, after legislative reforms that grant significant power to the new upper chamber.