PERU · ELECTIONS
Peru’s electoral court will get a new member from the prosecution service days after the regional runoff scheduled for Sunday 6 December 2026. Carlos Pérez Sánchez, now a senior criminal prosecutor in Cusco, was elected on Wednesday 11 November to take the seat of Martha Maisch, whose service ends on her 70th birthday.
The court is the Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE), Peru’s final authority on election disputes. Maisch stays through the 6 December vote and leaves four days later, on Thursday 10 December.
Key Facts
- Who Carlos Pérez Sánchez, a senior criminal prosecutor in Cusco, was picked for Peru’s electoral court.
- Replaces Martha Maisch, the prosecution service’s current member, who turns 70 on 10 December.
- Why Prosecutor-General Tomás Gálvez ended her post under the 70-year age limit for prosecutors.
- When The regional runoff is Sunday 6 December 2026; Maisch’s term ends Thursday 10 December.
- Next He was named provisional supreme prosecutor from 10 December, the day her term ends.
- Power Index Peru ranks 5th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 53.9 points (November 2026 edition).
Who Is Joining the Electoral Court
Pérez Sánchez is a titular senior criminal prosecutor (a regional-level post) in Cusco, the southern Andean city that is the gateway to Machu Picchu. He has also led the Cusco board of senior prosecutors, and the Board of Supreme Prosecutors (Junta de Fiscales Supremos), the prosecution service’s top governing body, elected him unanimously by secret ballot.
The JNE’s plenary has five members under Peru’s Constitution (article 179). They are one Supreme Court judge, one supreme prosecutor, a representative of the Lima Bar Association, and the law deans of one public and one private university.
The seat must go to a supreme prosecutor, the top rank of Peru’s prosecutors, active or retired, so a separate resolution named him provisional supreme prosecutor from 10 December. Both decisions were published in El Peruano, the official gazette, on Saturday 14 November.
Why Maisch Is Leaving
Gálvez, who holds the office of Fiscal de la Nación (prosecutor-general), ended Maisch’s service for reaching the age limit in Resolution 3509-2026-MP-FN, published in El Peruano, the official gazette, on Friday 6 November. The text says her service ends “a partir del 10 de diciembre de 2026”, which is her 70th birthday.
Maisch holds the prosecution service’s seat on the JNE plenary, and her current rank of provisional supreme prosecutor dates from December 2023. Her departure is set by the calendar, not by a ruling of the court.
What Happens Around the Runoff
Peru holds its regional runoff on Sunday 6 December in the regions where no slate of governor and vice-governor candidates reached the 30% of valid votes needed to win outright in the first round, under Supreme Decree 150-2026-PCM, issued by the cabinet office. According to the decree, 15 regions are affected.
The plenary resolves appeals over candidates and disputed actas (tally sheets) and proclaims results, and Maisch’s term ends four days after the vote. Our guides to the 6 December runoff and to how the regional vote works cover the voting itself.
What to Watch Next
- Sunday 6 December 2026: regional runoffs under Supreme Decree 150-2026-PCM.
- Thursday 10 December 2026: Maisch’s service ends under Resolution 3509-2026-MP-FN.
What It Means for You
For readers following Peru’s political calendar, one of the five votes on the court changes hands on a fixed date, not through a dispute. Nothing in the resolution or the election decree changes how the court decides cases.
The change matters most to the 15 regions heading to the runoff, whose winners the electoral authorities will proclaim. More on the country’s power structure is in our Peru politics explainer and on the Peru news page.
What Is Not Known
Neither published resolution states the day Pérez Sánchez is sworn in, and press reports give both 10 and 11 December. No named critic of Maisch’s removal or of the choice of her successor had surfaced by 14 November.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is replacing Martha Maisch on Peru’s electoral court?
Carlos Pérez Sánchez, a senior criminal prosecutor in Cusco, was elected unanimously by the Board of Supreme Prosecutors on 11 November. He was named provisional supreme prosecutor from 10 December.
Why is Martha Maisch leaving the JNE?
Prosecutor-General Tomás Gálvez ended her post under the age limit in Resolution 3509-2026-MP-FN. She turns 70 on 10 December 2026, the day it takes effect.
When is Peru’s regional runoff?
The runoff is on Sunday 6 December 2026, in regions where no governor ticket won 30% of valid votes. The decree names 15 regions.
What does the JNE do?
The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones is Peru’s election court. Its five-member plenary hears final appeals and proclaims results.
Sources: Resolution 3509-2026-MP-FN of Peru’s prosecutor-general (published in El Peruano, 6 November 2026); Resolution 3556-2026-MP-FN naming Pérez Sánchez provisional supreme prosecutor and Resolution 121-2026-MP-FN-JFS of the Board of Supreme Prosecutors designating him (both El Peruano, 14 November 2026); Supreme Decree 150-2026-PCM convening the regional runoff (El Peruano, 11 November 2026); Constitution of Peru, article 179.
In depth
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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