The head of Peru’s election authority has resigned as results of the nation’s first-round presidential contest are still unclear nine days after the vote, sending the country into a deepening political crisis.
Piero Corvetto, the head of the National Office of Electoral Processes, announced his resignation in a letter published on X on Tuesday as votes were still being tallied from the election on April 12.
The poll had been thrown into chaos before counting even began. Electoral authorities were forced to extend voting by a day for about 63,000 people in the capital of Lima who were initially prevented from voting when several polling stations opened late. Officials said the delay was due to a private contractor failing to deliver ballots on time.