Peru electoral court announces deadlines for resignations of public officials ahead of 2026 elections News
Omar Vega Ramos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Peru electoral court announces deadlines for resignations of public officials ahead of 2026 elections

Peru’s National Jury of Elections (JNE) on Tuesday issued deadlines for high-ranking officials to resign in order to run for office in the 2026 General Elections. JNE issued a series of resolutions to address potential challenges that may arise due to a surplus of General Election candidates.

JNE stated in its resolutions that approximately 10,000 candidates representing 41 registered political parties planned to run in the upcoming 2026 elections, compared to just over 3,300 candidates who ran in 2021. JNE noted that it hoped to provide political organizations with ample time to review and comply with the regulations when submitting their candidate lists.

The newly imposed deadlines require candidates to register for primary elections at least 30 days before the internal elections occur, while requiring high-ranking public officials to submit their resignation before October 13, 2025, at least six months before the elections. In contrast, the deadlines require government institution employees, agencies, and state-owned enterprises to submit a request for a leave of absence without pay beginning February 11, 2026.

Executive director of the Peruvian Institute of Electoral Law José Manuel Villalobos said that the regulation aims to  “prevent individuals from using state resources under their control to favor their electoral campaigns” and will help to maintain neutrality. However, the current law requiring officials of lower-ranking positions to request a leave of absence has raised some concern among critics who question whether the current provision actually protects true freedom of candidacy for employees who depend on their salary as their sole source of income. Villalobos echoed concerns over the regulation’s efficacy, stating that, “there is a reason why there are already laws in place that sanction the improper use of state resources”.

The Peruvian Congress extended the electoral alliance registration deadline from May to August to encourage collaboration between parties—a move that it hopes will encourage parties to choose only their strongest candidates to reduce the number of political parties running for election.

 

 

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