LIMA, April 21 (Reuters) - The head of Peru's electoral authority, Piero Corvetto, resigned on Tuesday as pressure grows over the long-delayed results from the country's April 12 general election.
Corvetto, who shared his resignation letter on X, had previously acknowledged logistical delays to the electoral process, but denied that any irregularities took place.
In his letter, Corvetto said it was "necessary and unavoidable" for him to step down to ensure the presidential runoff, scheduled for June 7, is conducted "in a context of greater public confidence," adding that many unresolved issues must still be clarified through an “impartial and exhaustive investigation.”
Delays to the official count have prompted fraud allegations from several candidates and calls for Corvetto to be replaced from business leaders and lawmakers. European Union election observers said last week they found no evidence of fraud.
On Monday Peru's electoral authorities began reviewing thousands of contested ballots that were challenged due to inconsistencies, missing information or errors on tally sheets. That has further delayed final results, with no clear presidential rival yet emerging to face conservative frontrunner Keiko Fujimori in a June runoff.
The final result of the presidential election will be known no later than May 15, according to Peru's top electoral body, the National Jury of Elections (JNE), which swiftly said it had accepted Corvetto's resignation in a post on X.
Peru's official vote count has barely moved since Friday. With nearly 94% of ballots tallied, Fujimori was holding about 17% of the vote, according to ONPE. Left-wing congressmanRoberto Sanchezand ultra-conservative Rafael Lopez Aliaga remained locked in a tight contest for second place, with 12.0% and 11.9% of the vote respectively - a margin of roughly 14,000 votes that continues to fluctuate.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Lucinda Elliott and Cassandra Garrison)
