OAS Electoral Mission congratulates Peru on Sunday's Election Day

The Mission highlights the work of authorities and officials of the different electoral institutions of Peru, who carried out their work in the midst of a complex context marked by the pandemic.

After two preliminary visits in November 2020 and March 2021, the Mission arrived in the country on April 3. It was made up of 33 observers and specialists from 16 different nationalities, who were present in 10 of the 24 regions of the country and in 5 cities abroad.

In order to collect data on Election Day, the Mission also relied on external information relays who compiled quantitative data on the opening, the development of voting, and the counting of votes at the polls.

The Mission carried out a comprehensive analysis of the key aspects of the electoral process, with specialists in electoral organization, electoral technology, computer security, electoral justice, political financing, political participation of women, political participation of indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants and the vote of citizens abroad, who for the first time elected two representatives to Congress.

To learn about the different perspectives on the election, the Mission met with political actors, electoral and government authorities, male and female candidates, as well as members of academia and civil society.

At the beginning of the voting day, observers reported significant delays in setting up the polling stations due to the absence of those who were selected to conform the stations.

As the regulations indicated, to complete the polling stations, the authorities proceeded to select voters who were in line.

The Mission observed that —given that the suggested voting time for elderly citizens, pregnant women, people with disabilities and those at risk was between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. (at the time that the polls had to be completed)— most of the people in line belonged to these especially vulnerable groups.

As a result of the delays in setting up the tables, long lines were observed outside polling stations in the morning. The Mission recognizes the civic commitment of voters, especially the elderly and people with disabilities, who waited patiently to exercise their right to vote and who —in some cases— had to return in the afternoon. Despite the delays, in the national territory there was only one table that did not open.

The members of the Mission observed that the premises were large enough to maintain social distancing and that the polling stations had equipment and procedures to protect against COVID-19. It confirmed the use of face masks, face shields, alcohol gel, and elements to disinfect surfaces.

The Mission recognizes the efforts of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) to create a safe environment for voters. It also congratulates polling station members, jury monitors, ONPE officials, security forces, and national observers, who were present at polling stations to contribute from their respective roles to the success of the day.

As part of the measures taken to reduce the risks of contagion, ONPE expanded the number of polling stations by more than 100%. The Mission values this decision, while noting that —during the day— there was confusion among some voters regarding the location of the center where they were supposed to vote. Likewise, in the places visited, the observers reported the lack of clear signs so that citizens could identify their voting locations.

At the close of the voting, the observers reported that some polling station members were not fully aware of the counting procedures, and had to be assisted by ONPE personnel. Once the count was completed, the minutes were sent to the Decentralized Offices for Electoral Processes (ODPE).

The Mission observed that the counting of the results progressed slowly. On election night, citizens learned about voting trends primarily from an exit poll and a quick count conducted by a private company. As had been announced by ONPE, the first official results were released at 11:30 p.m., when only 11.44% of the results had been processed.

At this time, the results of about 4% of the total of the tables still remain to be computed. However, the trend towards a second round is clear. The Mission remains on the ground and once the count is finished, it will release a preliminary report, which will include Peru's progress in electoral matters, as well as the observations and recommendations for the second round.

This electoral process was carried out in the midst of a complex and unstable political context. The holding of these elections was an essential step to ensure a new stage in the democratic life of the country. Peruvians have demonstrated last Sunday, with democratic conviction, that the way out of political crises is to vote.

The Mission appreciates the openness of the electoral and government authorities, which facilitated the collection of information necessary to carry out its work. Thanks are extended to the other actors with whom the Mission met and to the Peruvian people for their warm welcome.

Lastly, the Mission appreciates the financial contributions of Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, Spain, the United States, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Switzerland, which made the deployment of the observers possible.