“We must defend popular sovereignty in Peru”

The delegation of the Progressive International in Lima congratulates the Peruvian people in the exercise of their democratic will through a peaceful and free vote on 6 June 2021.

But the electoral process is not yet over. It is imperative to maintain patience and vigilance as the final results are counted — especially in the face of fresh attempts to undermine the legitimacy of the democratic process.

We denounce and reject baseless allegations of fraud, made without evidence in the final moments of this democratic celebration. These accusations jeopardize the integrity of the electoral process and the votes of tens of millions of Peruvians who cast their ballots this Sunday. We must ensure that their will is respected.

The delegation of the Progressive International has seen no evidence of systemic fraud in the course of the 2021 Peruvian presidential elections. Neither statistical models analyzing results in real time nor our time physical monitoring of this process have revealed any evidence of fraud.

We know too well the danger of false accusation of fraud claims. In November 2019, a violent coup in Bolivia removed democratically elected former president Evo Morales from office on the false pretense that the Movement Toward Socialism had interfered in the electoral process.

These claims were systematically proven to be false. But in the interim, an unelected coup regime reigned with impunity.

One year later, President Donald Trump provoked a revanchist attack on the US Capitol in order to “stop the steal” — again provoking a violent reaction to democracy on the basis of false accusations of fraud.

The people of Perú are now concluding a free and fair election, overseen without major irregularities by the Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) and the Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorals (ONPE). Fellow international electoral observation delegations — including the Unión Interamericana de Organismos Electorales (UNIORE) — have likewise come to the same conclusion.

Through a tragic pandemic, a dizzying media campaign, and a severe economic crisis, the Peruvian people have mobilized to exercise their right to popular sovereignty. Our obligation now is to defend it.