ERM 2026: Second Round Expected in Several Regions of Peru

Thirteen regions in Peru are headed to a runoff election following the October 4, 2026, Regional and Municipal Elections (ERM), as no candidate in these jurisdictions secured the 30% of valid votes required for an outright victory. With counts in most regions exceeding 80%—and some reaching 98%—the national electoral map is nearly complete, though officials expect to reach 100% in the coming hours.

Runoff Rules Apply Only to Governor Elections

The requirement for a second round applies exclusively to the election of governors and vice-governors. Under Peruvian electoral law, a candidate must achieve at least 30% of the valid vote to be declared the winner in the first round. If no candidate reaches this threshold, the two highest-polling formulas must compete in a runoff, where the winner is determined by a simple majority. According to the Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE), this rule does not apply to municipal elections for provincial or district mayors, where the list with the highest number of votes is declared the winner.

The regions currently identified for a potential second round include Amazonas, Áncash, Arequipa, Huancavelica, Ica, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima Provincias, Loreto, Moquegua, Piura, Puno, and Tumbes. While the runoff is tentatively scheduled for November 29, the ONPE has proposed moving the date to the first Sunday of December to guarantee the operational execution of the polls.

National Parties Fail to Secure Regional Victories

The 2026 election results show a change in national political alignments. Political analyst Fernando Tuesta Soldevilla noted that parties currently holding seats in the national Congress have largely failed to secure regional and municipal victories. The national parties at the subnational level do not count or count very little.

The analyst observed that major political forces like Fuerza Popular and Juntos por el Perú, which dominated the 2021 general elections, have been the primary losers, failing to secure a single regional government or provincial municipality. Other organizations such as Obras and the Partido del Buen Gobierno also failed to achieve electoral success. While Alianza para el Progreso lost its stronghold in La Libertad and Trujillo, it maintained competitive results in Huancavelica, Junín, Loreto, Piura, and Tacna.

In specific regions, the competition remains tight. In La Libertad, candidates Elías Rodríguez of Podemos Perú (24.4%) and Aldo Carlos Mariños of Somos Perú (21.9%) are set to face off, while in Lambayeque, César Perales of Somos Perú (27.5%) and Rolando Barboza of Fuerza Popular (18%) will compete for the governorship. Other notable regional results include Edison Carrasco Olivera (Somos Perú) leading in Cajamarca with 29.659%, followed by Moisés González Cruz (APP) at 23.151%, while in regions like San Martín, Óscar Cabrera (Avanza País) reached 34.4%, and in Huánuco, Rosali Leandro (País para Todos) secured 32.1%.

El Niño Risks Complicate Power Transition

The timing of the second round has prompted concerns regarding the transition of power. President Keiko Fujimori stated that the government would provide resources to facilitate a rapid transition for newly elected authorities, emphasizing the need for incoming governors to assume their responsibilities immediately. As reported, the president highlighted the short timeframe between the election and the start of the new term as a potential hurdle, particularly given the approaching climate risks associated with the El Niño phenomenon. What worries me about these runoffs is that the handover process, the transition process, of the governors who are leaving and the new ones who are going to enter, is going to be quite short, she said.

ONPE Processes Tally Sheets for Final Results

The ONPE continues to process physical tally sheets to ensure the transparency of the electoral process. While the current data provides a clear projection of which candidates are headed to the runoff, the official list of governors-elect will only be finalized once all contested acts are resolved. As the electoral authorities work to conclude the count, citizens and political actors are awaiting the formal proclamation of the final results to confirm the composition of the new regional leadership. It corresponds then to the organizations that have to speed up the pace and pave the way for these processes to be completed, without prejudice, obviously, to the transparency and rigor with which they must be carried out, noted a recent editorial report.