Technical issues and late delivery of materials disrupt election process in Lima.

On Sunday, Peruvian electoral authorities extended voting hours by one additional hour in the general elections following multiple problems reported in the opening of polling stations.

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Piero Corvetto, head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), announced that the National Jury of Elections (JNE) approved the request to extend voting hours by one hour.

Earlier, numerous polling locations, especially in Lima, were unable to open at 7 a.m. local time as scheduled because electoral materials that ONPE is responsible for distributing had not arrived.

In other polling sites, there were also connection and power supply problems affecting the operation of printers and other equipment.

Peru’s Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into delays in the delivery of electoral materials at some polling stations in Lima, as three hours after the start of the general elections there were still closed locations and voting tables not in operation. This led to long lines of frustrated voters.

The most affected locations are 75 educational institutions located in the Lima districts of Villa El Salvador and San Juan de Miraflores, in the southern part of the Peruvian capital.

The text reads, “Scandal in Peru. Massive electoral fraud in Lima. Hundreds of thousands of voters unable to cast their ballots. Elections on the verge of being declared null and void.”

ONPE spokeswoman Alexandra Velasquez said the delay at the Alfonso Ugarte school was due to the absence of members assigned to staff the polling stations. She stated that the electoral materials had arrived at midnight at the polling center in Lima.

However, she acknowledged that there was an issue with the Technological Solution for Counting Support (STAE), a software program that polling station members were supposed to use and were attempting to resolve. Other polling stations located in public parks also faced electricity problems that prevented printers from operating.

Voting will continue nationwide until 6 p.m. local time. Until then, Peruvians will have the opportunity to elect the president, two vice presidents, 130 deputies and 60 senators.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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