Peru Count Points to Runoffs in 15 of 25 Regions

POLITICS · PERU

Peru regional runoffs now look likely in 15 of 25 regions after Monday’s official count of Sunday’s governor vote. They include Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna and Cajamarca, home to mines run by US-listed Freeport-McMoRan, Southern Copper and Newmont.

In those 15 races, no ticket reached the 30% of valid votes needed to win in the first round. The figures come from ONPE, the national electoral office, as published by the Lima daily El Comercio between 8:06 and 10:46 a.m. Lima time.

Fifteen Regions Below the Bar

Peru elects its regional governors under a simple rule. A ticket needs at least 30% of valid votes, or the top two meet again.

The national elections jury (JNE) has set Sunday 29 November for that second round. See Peru Sets Regional Election Runoff for November. Mayors face no runoff, so Lima’s close race ends on the first count. See Lima Vote Count at 60.6%: López Aliaga List Leads.

On Monday morning’s official figures, 15 regions fell short. They are Amazonas, Áncash, Arequipa, Cajamarca, Junín, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima region, Loreto, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, Tacna and Tumbes.

Ten regions had a leader above 30%. Callao was the clearest, where Pedro Spadaro had 51.73% with 97.655% of tally sheets counted. Spadaro, who resigned as Callao’s provincial mayor in March to run, is the candidate of Renovación Popular, the conservative party led by Rafael López Aliaga.

Verónika Mendoza, a former presidential candidate, led Cusco for Venceremos, a left-wing alliance, with 30.87% at 89.832% counted. RPP had her ticket at 30.481% earlier on Monday, so her margin over the bar grew as counting went on.

The other outright leaders were in Apurímac, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Huánuco, Ica, Madre de Dios, San Martín and Ucayali. In Madre de Dios, Ahora Nación, the left-wing party of economist Alfonso López Chau, its April presidential candidate, had 37.448% with 74.755% counted.

How the Official Count Redrew the Exit Poll

Sunday night’s exit poll by Datum, a Lima polling firm, pointed to up to 14 runoffs. See Peru Exit Poll Points to Up to 14 Regional Runoffs. The official count keeps the total close but changes several names.

Cajamarca, Junín, Pasco and Tacna now look headed for a second round. Datum’s exit poll had all four leaders above 30%. Its later quick count already showed Pasco and Tacna below the bar.

In Tacna, Alianza para el Progreso had 29.32% with 98.646% counted, a share Diario Correo also reported. The party was founded by businessman César Acuña.

In Cajamarca, Somos Perú stood at 29.843% with 94.92% counted, just 0.157 points short.

In Junín, Podemos Perú, founded by José Luna Gálvez, had 29.673% with 90.815% counted. In Pasco, Frente de la Esperanza 2021, the party of former presidential candidate Fernando Olivera, had 28.763%, ahead of Podemos Perú at 24.489%.

Three regions moved the other way. Huancavelica, Ica and Ucayali each had a leader above 30%, with Ucayali’s Somos Perú ticket highest at 35.264%.

Ica’s pass is the narrowest, at 30.765% with 98.069% counted. In Huánuco, País para Todos, which Datum had at 31.6%, stood at 31.748%. The party, whose president is Vladimir Meza, ran comedian Carlos Álvarez for president in April.

The Copper Regions at Stake

For US readers, the map matters because of copper. Peru is one of the largest producers of the metal, and much of its output comes from the south.

Arequipa hosts Cerro Verde, majority-owned by Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan. There, Fuerza Arequipeña, the regional movement of former Arequipa mayor Alfredo Zegarra, led with 25.301% at 97.973% counted. Ahora Nación was second at 14.4%.

Moquegua and Tacna host the Cuajone and Toquepala mines of Southern Copper. The company trades in New York and is controlled by Grupo México, the Mexican mining group of Germán Larrea.

Moquegua is the tightest of the copper races. Acción Popular, the party founded by former president Fernando Belaúnde, had 26.028% and Somos Perú 25.185% with 98.077% counted.

Cajamarca is home to Yanacocha, the gold mine run by Denver-based Newmont. Its leader was less than two tenths of a point below the bar.

Close Fights in La Libertad and Puno

La Libertad, home to the coastal city of Trujillo, has a near tie for first place. Somos Perú had 24.793% and Podemos Perú 24.458% with 97.376% counted.

Andina, the state news agency, put the gap at 1,589 votes at 95.48% counted. Both look set for the runoff, as the third-placed ticket trails with 18.56%.

Puno has a three-way race for two runoff places. ASI-Juntos por el Perú had 22.49%, Ahora Nación 21.267% and País para Todos 20.073% at 98.047% counted. Juntos por el Perú is the left-wing party of Roberto Sánchez, an ally of former president Pedro Castillo.

The Lima region, which surrounds but excludes the capital, is just as close. Somos Perú had 16.282% and the Renovación Popular alliance 16.016%.

What It Means for You

For investors in Freeport-McMoRan, Southern Copper and Newmont, a runoff does not halt mining. Large concessions are granted by the national government, and sitting governors stay in office until the new term begins in 2027.

Governors do shape local permits, roads and how protests near mines are handled. Expect about eight weeks of local campaigning in Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna and Cajamarca before the runoff.

For travellers, little changes in the short term. The runoffs are local contests, and mayors’ races, including Lima’s, end on the first count.

What Is Not Known

None of the Peru regional runoffs is official yet. Special electoral juries must first rule on tally sheets flagged for errors or disputes.

ONPE has until 11 October to send those sheets to the juries, according to ATV. The juries have until 28 October for public recounts. The JNE has said it expects some 20,000 flagged sheets.

Two regions are still far from complete. Loreto had only 60.059% counted, with Somos Perú leading on 28.311%, close enough to the bar to matter.

The date is not settled beyond doubt either. ONPE’s interim head, Bernardo Pachas, said on 3 October his office had asked the JNE to move the runoff to 6 December.

He cited the time needed to print and deliver ballots. JNE president Roberto Burneo said the full jury would review the request, but no ruling had been reported by Monday afternoon.

More: Peru news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Which Peruvian regions are heading for a governor runoff?

On ONPE’s official count on 5 October, 15 regions had no ticket above 30%. They are Amazonas, Áncash, Arequipa, Cajamarca, Junín, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima region, Loreto, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, Tacna and Tumbes. The list becomes final only after electoral juries rule on disputed tally sheets.

Why does Peru hold regional runoffs but not mayoral ones?

Peru’s regional elections law requires a governor ticket to win at least 30% of valid votes in the first round. Mayors are elected by simple plurality, so the list with most votes wins and there is no second round.

Do the Peru regional runoffs affect US mining companies?

Not directly. Large mining concessions are granted by the national government, and mines keep operating. Governors in regions such as Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna do influence local permits, roads and how protests near mines are handled.

Sources: ONPE regional results via El Comercio (Tacna page; series for all 25 regions), 5 Oct 2026 (elcomercio.pe); Andina, La Libertad count at 95.48%, 5 Oct 2026 (andina.pe); RPP, live ONPE regional count, 5 Oct 2026 (rpp.pe); La República, live ONPE count incl. Callao, 5 Oct 2026 (larepublica.pe); ATV, Datum exit poll and JEE timetable, 4 Oct 2026 (www.atv.pe); Diario Correo/EFE, Datum projection, 4 Oct 2026 (diariocorreo.pe); RPP, ONPE asks JNE to reconsider runoff date, 3 Oct 2026 (rpp.pe).

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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