Criminal Charges Filed Against Rafael López Arriaga
On Wednesday, lawyers in Peru initiated criminal proceedings against conservative presidential candidate Rafael López Arriaga, accusing him of “interfering” with the electoral process and calling for his immediate arrest.
López Arriaga, a former mayor of Lima, was among 35 candidates representing the conservative Popular Renewal (RP) party in the recent presidential election. However, the election faced significant logistical challenges, with slow vote counting that continued into Thursday morning.
Given such a crowded field, it’s widely expected that no one candidate will secure the 50 percent majority needed for a first-round win, making a runoff between the top two contenders highly likely.
Preliminary results from the National Elections Office (ONPE) indicated that former first lady Keiko Fujimori, of the People’s Power Party, currently leads the race. The competition for second place, however, is still quite unclear. As of now, López Arriaga was in second place, but vote counts showed he was overtaken by Roberto Sánchez Palomino from the left-wing party Together for Peru, thus dropping him to third.
As of 9:14 a.m. ET, about 92.962 percent of the votes had been tallied, amounting to a total difference of just a few hundred votes between López Arriaga and Sánchez Palomino. Sánchez Palomino garnered 1,879,206 votes (about 12 percent) while López Arriaga had 1,869,897 votes (approximately 11.9 percent). Keiko Fujimori led with 17.065% of the votes.
A Peruvian newspaper, La Repubblica, reported that attorneys Indira Rodríguez and Dorell Fuaman lodged a formal complaint against López Arriaga, asserting that he called for a civil uprising after contesting the election results. They claimed that his statements amounted to “obstruction of the electoral process.” To substantiate their case, they presented a video of López Arriaga speaking at a peaceful protest where he demanded the annulment of the election results and incited his supporters to “revolt.”
The lawyers argued that his actions could undermine voting rights and threaten national stability, claiming they were not protected by free speech. According to legal sources, the rationale for his detention falls under a specific criminal definition in Peruvian law.
López Arriaga has insisted that the election should be annulled, citing issues like the delayed opening of polling stations that left many voters unable to cast their ballots. However, he hasn’t yet provided out any evidence to back his claims. On Wednesday, he also offered a reward for information about alleged electoral fraud.
In response, Keiko Fujimori expressed her concerns about López Arriaga’s incendiary rhetoric and reiterated that political disputes should be resolved through proper channels, not through calls for rebellion. “The outcome will likely be very close,” she noted, emphasizing the need for order in a democratic society.
Despite the challenges faced during the election, a preliminary report from the Organization of American States (OAS) stated that the election was largely peaceful and suggested improvements for the upcoming runoff.
This election marks Peru’s first since 2021, following a tumultuous period featuring nine presidents in a decade, three of whom were impeached within a few months last year.
Currently, José María Balcázar, a Marxist lawmaker, serves as interim president. He will be succeeded by the eventual winner of the upcoming runoff in June.
