Lima mayoral election legal and political disputes

The Lima mayoral election has been marked by legal uncertainty and political tension as vote counting progresses. Initially, a debate emerged regarding whether the election requires a second-round runoff. Because the Municipality of Lima possesses competencies similar to a regional government, experts and candidates questioned if the 30% vote threshold required for regional governors should apply, or if standard municipal rules—where the plurality winner prevails—should take precedence.

As the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) reached 95.059% of the count, Rafael López Aliaga of Renovación Popular maintained a lead with approximately 27.773%, followed by Francis Allison of Avanza País with 26.836%.

Political friction has intensified between the leading candidates. Francis Allison stated he would not participate in a government led by López Aliaga, describing the two as being ‘like water and oil’. Additionally, the electoral process faces logistical challenges, with 1,303 election records sent to Special Electoral Juries for evaluation. Allison noted that he lacks the funding to contest approximately 500 of these contested records.