Washington, D.C.– Peruvians will cast their ballots this Sunday, April 10, to elect their next president and a new congress. None of the presidential candidates appear likely to garner more than 50 percent of the vote, in which case the two top candidates will square off again in a second round on June 5. Polls show Ollanta Humala leading the race, but it remains unclear who among the other contenders might face Humala in a second-round runoff. The sense of political uncertainty just days ahead of the vote is heightened by the large number of voters who remain undecided or who say they may switch their vote at the last minute.
The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) is sending an electoral observation delegation to Peru. The delegation – composed of renowned Peru experts Cynthia McClintock (Professor, George Washington University), Jo-Marie Burt (Associate Professor, George Mason University and WOLA Senior Fellow), and Coletta Youngers (WOLA Senior Fellow) – will be commenting about the race, the candidates, and Election Day in their Tumblr page.
Visit and join WOLA’s electoral observation delegation Tumblr page, where we’ve now posted some resources that you might useful:
* An audio-podcast with Jo-Marie Burt about the candidates and issues concerning Peruvian voters.
* A blog about the electoral race and possible election outcomes.
The delegation arrives in Peru tomorrow, Friday, April 8. Jo-Marie Burt and Coletta Youngers will report from Lima; Cynthia McClintock from Trujillo.
Contact:
In Peru:
Jo-Marie Burt and Coletta Youngers: (011-511) 994-950-426.
Cynthia McClintock: (011-511) 991-135-828.
In Washington, D.C.
Kristel Mucino, WOLA’s Communications Coordinator: kmucino@wola.org, (617) 584-1713