The electoral body's (ONPE) count, which reached 100% two weeks ago, gave Pedro Castillo 50.12% of the votes to Keiko Fujimori's 49.87%. | Photo: Agencia Andina

Lima, July 4 (RHC)-- The Peruvian government has rejected the request of the Popular Force candidate, Keiko Fujimori, to convene international audits to review the votes in the presidential runoff election, while the National Jury of Elections (JNE) moves forward in examining the challenges presented after the second round of elections on June 6th.

In an official letter signed by the Minister of Justice, Eduardo Vega, and addressed to the candidate, he is reminded that the Executive and the President of the Republic cannot intervene in an electoral process at the request of one of the participating political forces.

"In virtue of the principle of neutrality that every State institution must respect and since the general elections process is in progress, it is not legally possible to comply with the request made," Vega wrote.

In his letter of response to Fujimori's request presented on Monday in the Government Palace, the official indicated that the possible irregularities referred to in his letter should be dealt with by the JNE, which has been evaluating and resolving the challenges.

After the official refusal, the right-wing candidate unloaded her displeasure in social networks against the interim president, Francisco Sagasti.  According to the candidate, such an evaluation would determine whether the results processed and counted by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) represent the will of the people.

For his part, the voceo of the JNE, Luis Alberto Sanchez, indicated that the Special Electoral Juries (JEE) and the plenary of this electoral body are working "uninterruptedly."  He estimated that the result of the winner of the 2021 General Elections will not exceed next July 15th.

Sanchez confirmed that the remaining 243 appeals are already being reviewed and that such work will advance "until finishing as soon as possible and returning the matter to the first instance".

Likewise, when asked if by July 28 the winning presidential candidate for the 2021 General Elections will be defined, he said he was confident that "it will be so."  "As long as the jurors can work uninterruptedly and the plenary as well, we are confident that this will be the case", he said.

The count of the National Organism of Electoral Processes (ONPE), which reached 100% two weeks ago, gave Pedro Castillo (of Peru Libre) 50.12% of the votes over Fujimori's 49.87%, surpassing her by 44,000 votes.

Peru has been living in permanent tension for the last three weeks because the JNE has yet to finish reviewing the challenges of thousands of votes presented by Fujimori before proclaiming the winner.