Peru's Election Authority Plans El Niño Contingency for 2026 Regional Elections

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) held an extended plenary session to address the anticipated impacts of a strong El Niño event on Peru's 2026 regional and municipal elections. Representatives from the Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales (ONPE), the Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil (Reniec), the Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civil (Indeci) and the Centro Nacional de Estimación, Prevención y Reducción del Riesgo de Desastres (Cenepred) participated.

President Roberto Burneo highlighted the need for up‑to‑date technical information and proposed a permanent technical working group to manage risks. The discussion covered possible disruptions to infrastructure, communication networks, transportation routes, voter mobility, power supply and the handling of electoral materials and computing centers. Cenepred’s scenario analysis, based on SENAMHI data, identified Piura as a particularly vulnerable department.

ONPE and Reniec outlined contingency measures, prioritising communications, logistics, and the safe transport of voting equipment and results. Indeci confirmed the existence of a national contingency plan for intense rain and flooding, ready to be activated to protect affected communities during the electoral process.