Lima, Peru: Voters across Peru are heading to polling stations for nationwide regional and municipal elections, choosing the authorities who will govern regions, provinces and districts during the 2027–2030 term. More than 26 million citizens are eligible to participate in the election.

The election covers a large number of local government positions. Voters are choosing 25 regional governors, 25 vice governors, 364 regional councilors, 196 provincial mayors, 1,696 district mayors and thousands of provincial and district councilors. In total, 13,148 subnational authorities are being elected.

Polling stations are scheduled to operate from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while polling-station officials began arriving earlier to prepare the voting tables. More than 89,000 polling tables have been planned at over 10,000 voting centres around the country.

Security has been a major part of the election preparations. Thousands of members of the Armed Forces and National Police have been deployed to protect polling locations, electoral materials and voters. Authorities have also arranged security measures for the movement of electoral materials across the country.

One issue receiving attention is the relocation of some polling centres. Authorities previously moved 17 voting locations because of concerns including unsafe infrastructure, construction work, flooding risks, access difficulties and other operational problems. Citizens were therefore encouraged to verify their assigned voting location before travelling to vote.

The election is particularly important at the local level because the officials chosen will directly oversee public services and development programmes in Peru’s regions, provinces and districts. Their responsibilities will include local administration, infrastructure priorities and coordination of public services.

The nationwide vote is also taking place under strict electoral rules. Authorities have reminded citizens about voting requirements, polling procedures and restrictions surrounding election day. Failure to vote or, where applicable, failure to perform assigned polling duties can result in separate fines.

The election authorities have reported that electoral materials were delivered to voting centres before polling began. This preparation is intended to ensure that voting can proceed across Peru despite the country’s large geographic area and challenging transportation conditions in some regions.

As voting progresses, attention is expected to shift toward turnout, incidents reported at polling centres and the eventual counting of ballots. The results will determine the composition of regional and municipal governments for the next four-year administrative period.

The election represents one of Peru’s largest nationwide exercises in local democracy, involving millions of voters and thousands of candidates competing for positions that will directly affect communities throughout the country.