Faced with multiple petitions to nullify Keiko Fujimori's votes, Castillo calls to wait calmly for the electoral authorities to give the result of the elections. | Photo: EFE

Lima, June 15 (RHC)-- The Peruvian presidential candidate for the Peru Libre party, Pedro Castillo, who is leading the count of the second electoral round, rejected calls to annul the elections under the presumption of fraud made by politicians supporting Keiko Fujimori.

"They continue to call for an election to be overturned," Castillo warned from his party's headquarters in Lima.  "We are patiently awaiting the results," he added, referring to the fact that the National Jury of Elections (JNE) is reviewing the challenges before proclaiming a winner nine days after the elections, which had more than 70 percent of voter participation.

Nine days after the presidential runoff in Peru, the winner is still unknown and tensions are growing in a context in which right-wing politicians are trying to annul the elections, because of the fact that the results give an advantage to Castillo.

"Democracy has rules and deadlines that we all must respect," Cardinal Pedro Barreto told local media on Tuesday.  He added that the Catholic Church "is available" to mediate in order to overcome the "painful and frustrating uncertainty" that the country is experiencing.

For her part, Fujimori has requested the nullification of thousands of votes and has denounced fraud, in addition to requesting a "computer audit" to the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), while the JNE is reviewing the challenges presented by each side, fundamentally those of the Fuerza Popular candidate, before proclaiming the winner.

Peruvian electoral authorities have warned about the possibility of the count being delayed, due to the number of nullity requests presented by the political parties.