Peru’s national electoral board ruled on Friday 6 November that former mayors who ran as “first councillor” cannot be proclaimed mayor. The rule reaches Lima, where Rafael López Aliaga, a conservative former mayor of the capital, heads the list that leads the count.
Under the board’s reading, the job passes to the next eligible councillor on the winning list, which in Lima would be Jeanette Alonzo. The Lima count is not final, so nobody has been proclaimed yet.
What the Electoral Board Decided
The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE), Peru’s top electoral court, set out its position through secretary general Yessica Clavijo at a news conference. She said a first councillor who served as mayor in the immediately preceding term “will not be proclaimed nor receive the credentials for this new term”.
Clavijo added that such officials also cannot take over the mayoralty later if the person who holds it is suspended or removed from 2027 onward. The board said it will apply the same criterion to the remaining local results it reviews.
So far the board has reviewed 427 of roughly 1,900 local proclamations and found six places where the result must be corrected. They are Marca in Áncash, San Jerónimo de Tunán in Junín, La Esperanza and Víctor Larco Herrera in La Libertad, Zapatero in San Martín, and Condorcanqui province in Amazonas.
In each of those six places the mayoralty goes to the next eligible councillor on the list. A second resolution covering more than 600 further cases is already being prepared.
Visitors walk past the fountains of the Magic Water Circuit in Lima’s Parque de la Reserva. Undated tourism-board photo. Credit: PROMPERÚ.Why Lima Is the Test Case
Peru’s constitution says mayors cannot be re-elected immediately, and may run again only after at least one more term. López Aliaga governed Lima in the 2023 to 2026 term, so he registered as first councillor on the list of his party, Renovación Popular.
The party’s mayoral candidate, Luis Rubio, then withdrew, which left López Aliaga at the head of the list. Critics call that route a “hidden re-election”, because it lets a barred mayor return through the back door.
In September the same board rejected, as filed too late, a request to exclude López Aliaga from the ballot. The ruling of 6 November now limits what a win for his list can mean.
Where the Lima Count Stands
With 99.99 percent of tally sheets counted, the official count of ONPE, Peru’s national electoral office, gives Renovación Popular about 27.7 percent. Avanza País, a rival party whose mayoral candidate is Francis Allison, has about 26.8 percent, roughly 49,000 votes behind.
A quick count by the polling firm Datum had called the race a technical tie, at 27.6 to 26.7 percent. The gap is under one percentage point either way.
What It Means for US Readers
Lima is Peru’s capital and political centre, so the identity of its next mayor matters to US companies, investors and travellers who deal with city hall. The mayor’s office sets local rules on permits, municipal taxes and contracts.
The ruling does not change travel conditions or national policy, because it concerns only who runs the city from 2027. It does show that Peru’s electoral authorities will enforce term limits even after voters have cast their ballots.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether López Aliaga will challenge the decision, or in which forum. His party and the JNE, whose written resolution is still to be published and notified to the local electoral panels, can answer that.
It is also not known when Lima’s final result will be proclaimed. ONPE and the local electoral panel for central Lima can answer once the count reaches 100 percent, and the JNE has set itself November for its review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rafael López Aliaga?
He is a conservative politician and former mayor of Lima who leads Renovación Popular and was a presidential candidate. He governed the capital in the 2023 to 2026 term.
What is a first councillor?
A councillor, called a regidor in Peru, sits on the city council beneath the mayor. The first councillor is the top name on the council list below the mayoral candidate.
Can López Aliaga still serve in Lima’s government?
The board’s statement concerns the mayoralty, not the council seat. He is expected to keep the councillor post he registered for, but that has not been formally proclaimed.
Who would become mayor of Lima instead?
The board said the job goes to the next eligible councillor on the winning list. For Renovación Popular that is Jeanette Alonzo, the second councillor, if the list is confirmed as the winner.
Does the ruling affect other cities?
Yes, the board said the same rule applies nationwide, and it has already named six places where results must be corrected. More cases are under review.
Sources: Peru National Jury of Elections (JNE) press release of 29 October 2026 on review of proclamations, https://www.gob.pe/institucion/jne/noticias/1470384-jne-brinda-lineamientos-para-oportuna-proclamacion-y-entrega-de-credenciales-a-autoridades-elegidas ; JNE press conference of 6 November 2026 (secretary general Yessica Clavijo); JNE Resolution 3707-2026-JNE; ONPE official count of the Lima mayoral race, https://resultadoelectoral.onpe.gob.pe/ ; Constitution of Peru, Article 194; Datum Internacional quick count. Retrieved 7 November 2026.
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