|  ElCiudadano.cl |  Noticias

El Ciudadano

Original article: La transparencia tiene precio en Perú: Sánchez debe reunir casi US$1 millón para impugnar mesas cuestionadas

Transparency comes at a price in Peru, as leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez must raise almost 1 million dollars to formally request the challenge of 2,400 voting tables that, according to allegations and pattern analyses, yield excessively favorable results for his far-right rival, Keiko Fujimori.

Peruvian law imposes a fee of 1,337 soles for each table that a political group wishes to contest, equating to about 393 dollars. This, multiplied by the 2,400 tables identified by Sánchez’s party, Juntos por el Perú, as suspicious, totals over $943,000. Thus, this system turns a democratic auditing process into a privilege accessible only to those with substantial financial resources.

Alfredo Serrano Mancilla, director of the Strategic Latin American Center for Geopolitics (Celag), noted that in a «democracy as commercialized as Peru’s, the price for requesting the challenge of ballots is steep.»

The economist and political advisor encapsulated the paradox with a blunt statement: “The cost of demanding democratic transparency is nearly a million dollars. If you don’t have it, you cannot demand transparency.”

18,000 Vote Gap Between Sánchez and Fujimori

In practice, the fee system restricts access to contesting to the purchasing power of each political organization. With such a narrow result—only 18,478 votes apart—candidates without financial backing are automatically excluded from contesting the tallies. Regardless of the strength of the allegations, without funds, there is no recourse.

So far, the National Jury of Elections (ONPE) had counted 98.593% of the ballots, meaning 91,461 out of 92,766. Fujimori received 9,075,116 votes compared to Sánchez’s 9,056,638. The slight margin in percentage terms demands every scrutinized vote. Thus, the questionable tables become crucial in tipping the scales.

Juntos por el Perú has already filed a nullity appeal concerning 294 tables in Argentina. They also announced actions against 1,657 tables in Lima and 652 in the United States.

Meanwhile, the progressive base mobilized in Plaza San Martín in Lima, as well as in Chiclayo, Arequipa, Puno, and Ayacucho, demanding respect for the popular vote. Protests, reported by local media, were accompanied by street pressure, as noted by TeleSUR.

Sánchez’s Campaign Holds Solidarity Fundraiser

In light of the urgency, Sánchez’s campaign has called for a solidarity fundraiser to finance the challenges totaling nearly 1 million dollars. The focus is on nullifying the ballots from the 2,400 tables with voting patterns deemed “very anomalous.” Ss.

On Friday, Sánchez proposed that Fujimori jointly request a complete recount of votes from the second round, “especially in those areas where there are indications of potential non-transparency.” The far-right party, Fuerza Popular, immediately rejected the request.

Given this context, the outcome of the presidential elections in Peru relies on a model where justice and electoral transparency are bought and sold as commodities.

La entrada The Cost of Transparency in Peru: Sánchez Needs Nearly $1 Million to Challenge Questionable Voting Tables se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.