POLITICS · PERU
Key Facts
- —The country Peru is an Andean nation of about 34 million people and one of the world’s biggest copper producers. It elected 25 regional governors on Sunday 4 October 2026.
- —Why it matters Several runoff regions host mines run by US-listed Freeport-McMoRan, Southern Copper and Newmont. Lima region is home to the new Chancay port.
- —Why now ONPE, the national election office, published near-complete official counts on Monday 5 October. On our count of the latest of them, no ticket reached 30% of valid votes in 15 of 25 regions. Press tallies of 13 and 14 are older or come from an exit poll.
- —The date The national electoral court (JNE) set Sunday 29 November 2026 for the Second Regional Election. ONPE has asked to move it to 6 December, and no change has been reported.
- —Winners already Ten regions have a leader above 30%: Apurímac, Ayacucho, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huánuco, Ica, Madre de Dios, San Martín and Ucayali.
- —The closest Cajamarca’s leader had about 29.7% at more than 98% counted. In La Libertad the top two are about 0.3 points apart. In Lima region the gap is under 0.3 points.
- —Prediction markets We found no prediction market on Peru’s governor races. Polymarket does list the Lima mayor race, where the López Aliaga list is priced at 92.0% (5 October, 5:51 p.m. ET).
Peru’s regional runoffs are set for Sunday 29 November 2026 in 15 regions. On our count of the latest ONPE figures, no governor ticket won 30% of valid votes there. This page lists every runoff region, the two tickets in each and their latest percentages. We update it as the electoral juries rule.
The list is not final. ONPE’s counts are still moving in several regions, and tally sheets flagged for errors sit with special election juries. We use the latest official counts that Peruvian media published on Monday 5 October.
The 15 Runoff Regions and Their Candidates
Percentages are shares of valid votes in ONPE’s count. “Counted” is the share of tally sheets counted in that region at the time of the cut. Cuts differ by region because Peruvian media published them at different times on Monday.
Source: ONPE count as published by Correo, RPP, Infobae Perú, Trome and Andina, 5 October 2026. Tumbes: sources differ on the party of Manuel Merino.
What Is Still Moving
Three regions are the least settled. Loreto had only 62% of sheets counted, with Germán Chong of Somos Perú ahead on 28.3%. Piura was at 78% in the only cut we found, with Reynaldo Hilbck of Alianza para el Progreso (APP), a party founded by businessman César Acuña, on 22.3%. Junín was at 91%, where Fernando Orihuela of Podemos Perú had 29.7%, just under the line.
The tightest races are for second place. In La Libertad, Aldo Mariños of Somos Perú and Elías Rodríguez of Podemos Perú are about 0.3 points apart. In Lima region, which surrounds the capital but excludes it, Andrés Tello of Somos Perú and Javier Alvarado of the Renovación Popular alliance are under 0.3 points apart. In Puno, Jhomar Tonconi leads Eduardo Quispe by 1.2 points, while a third ticket sits close behind. Any of these could flip when juries rule.
Pasco and Tacna are different. Neither had a leader above 30% in the ONPE count, even though Datum’s exit poll had both higher. In Tacna, Segundo Ruiz of APP had 29.3% at 98.7% counted.
The Ten Regions That Do Not Need a Runoff
On the latest counts, ten regions have a governor ticket above 30%. Pedro Spadaro of Renovación Popular won Callao with 51.7%. Verónika Mendoza of the left-wing Venceremos alliance leads Cusco with about 31%. Elvyn Díaz of Ahora Nación, the party of economist Alfonso López Chau, leads Apurímac with about 38%. Pabel Bellido of Libertad Popular leads Ayacucho with about 36%.
The others are Huancavelica (Juan Común, APP, 33.7%), Huánuco (Rosalí Leandro, País para Todos, above 31%), Ica (Juan Mendoza, Somos Perú, 30.8%), Madre de Dios (Simón Horna, Ahora Nación, about 36%), San Martín (Óscar Cabrera, Avanza País, about 31%) and Ucayali (Sandro Acosta, Somos Perú, about 35%). Ica and Huánuco are only just over 30%, and Madre de Dios and Ucayali had counted less than 95% of sheets.
How a Regional Runoff Works
A governor needs at least 30% of valid votes to win in the first round. Valid votes exclude blank and spoiled ballots. If no ticket reaches that level, the top two tickets meet in a Second Regional Election. The ticket with more votes wins, with no further threshold.
Mayors have no runoff. In municipal races the list with the most votes wins, however small the margin. That is why the Lima mayor’s race, which is very close, ends with the juries and not a second vote. See why Lima is not yet decided: 1,924 sheets sit with the election juries.
The JNE ordered ONPE to hand all observed tally sheets to the juries by Sunday 11 October, and recount hearings end by Wednesday 28 October. The juries then proclaim winners, and appeals go to the JNE. Its president, Roberto Burneo, said results for regional governments could come in early November.
What It Means for US Readers
The regions that matter most to US investors are in the south. Arequipa hosts Cerro Verde, the copper mine run by Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan, and Southern Copper’s Tía María project. Moquegua and Tacna host Southern Copper’s Cuajone and Toquepala mines. Southern Copper trades in New York. Cajamarca is home to Yanacocha, the gold mine run by Denver-based Newmont.
A runoff does not halt mining. National permits cover the large mines, and sitting governors stay in office until the new term begins in 2027. Governors do shape local roads, permits and how protests near mines are handled. Expect about eight weeks of campaigning in these regions.
Lima region matters for trade. The Chancay port, a Chinese-led project north of Lima, sits there. Its next governor will deal with the area that surrounds it, although the port itself is a national concern. For US travellers, little changes: the runoffs are local contests.
What Is Not Known
None of the runoffs is official. Counts in Loreto, Piura, Junín and several smaller regions are incomplete. Special election juries must rule on flagged tally sheets before the JNE confirms the list. The JNE has said it expects some 20,000 flagged sheets nationwide.
The date is not fully settled either. ONPE’s interim head, Bernardo Pachas, asked the JNE to move the runoff to 6 December to allow time to print and deliver ballots. We found no report that the JNE has changed its decision. We could not read ONPE’s own portal, which blocks automated access, so we used ONPE figures published by Peruvian media. Some candidate names come from Datum’s exit-poll list matched to ONPE’s parties. The figure of 15 is our own count of the latest ONPE cuts, not a number published by ONPE.
Which Peruvian regions will hold a governor runoff?
On our count of the latest ONPE figures of 5 October, 15 regions: Amazonas, Áncash, Arequipa, Cajamarca, Junín, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima region, Loreto, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, Tacna and Tumbes. The list becomes final after electoral juries rule on disputed tally sheets.
When is the Peru regional runoff?
Sunday 29 November 2026, the date the national electoral court (JNE) set. ONPE has asked to move it to 6 December, and no change has been reported.
Why do some regions need a runoff and others do not?
A governor must win at least 30% of valid votes in the first round. Where no ticket does, the top two meet in a second round. Ten regions have a leader above 30% on the latest counts.
Is there a runoff in Callao or for the mayor of Lima?
No. Pedro Spadaro of Renovación Popular won Callao outright with 51.7%. Mayors have no runoff anywhere in Peru, so Lima’s mayor is decided by the count and the election juries.
Do the runoffs affect US mining companies in Peru?
Not directly. Large mining concessions are granted by the national government. Governors in Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna and Cajamarca do influence local permits, roads and how protests near mines are handled.
Related: Peru election results page, Peru count points to runoffs in 15 of 25 regions and who Francis Allison is.
Sources
Infobae Perú (ONPE counts, all regions); El Comercio (ONPE, Cajamarca); Correo (Junín); La República (Datum exit poll); Peruinforma (JNE deadlines) Also: ONPE, JNE, RPP, Trome, Andina, Polymarket.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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