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Peru Police Raid Former Election Chief's Home in Vote Count Probe
Peruvian police raided the home of the former head of the national election agency and other officials as part of an investigation into ballot shortages and delays in the April 12 presidential election. The ex-chief, Piero Corvetto, resigned earlier this week, denying wrongdoing. Leading candidates have traded accusations amid a tight race for the runoff spot.
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Police in Peru conducted raids on Friday at the home of Piero Corvetto, the former head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), and the residences of five other officials. The operations, carried out by anticorruption police in Lima, involved seizing mobile phones, laptops, and documents.
The raids also targeted offices of Galaga, a private company responsible for transporting election ballots. These actions stem from an investigation into irregularities during the first round of the presidential election on April 12, including ballot shortages that extended voting by a day in some areas and a prolonged vote count.
resigned on Tuesday, stating that his departure aimed to restore public confidence in the electoral process. He denied any wrongdoing or irregularities. His lawyer, Ricardo Sanchez Carranza, confirmed that a judge authorized the raid but rejected prosecutors' request for preliminary detention. The European Union’s election mission to Peru reported no indications of fraud in the process.
95 percent of ballots tallied, right-wing candidate and former First Lady Keiko Fujimori leads with 17 percent of the vote, securing her place in the June 7 runoff. Left-wing Congress member Roberto Sanchez holds second place with 12.03 percent, narrowly ahead of Rafael Lopez Aliaga at 11.9 percent.
About 20,000 votes separate Sanchez and Lopez Aliaga, who is a former far-right mayor of Lima. " — Piero Corvetto, in a statement on his resignation, April 21 (Al Jazeera). Lopez Aliaga has accused Corvetto of being a criminal and vowed to pursue him relentlessly.
He has described the vote tally as an electoral fraud unique in the world, though he has not provided evidence to support the claim.
election results are expected by May 15.
The slow count has fueled frustration and accusations of misconduct, despite the lack of fraud evidence noted by observers. Special Electoral Jury appointees have been recounting votes in Lima as part of the process. Local broadcaster RPP reported details of the items seized during the raids.
