Video/ Mayoral race in Peru ends in a tie, coin toss decides the winner

In the Conima area, near Lake Titikaka in Peru, the mayoral race ended in a tie between two candidates: Rubén Quispe Capajaña and Salomino Mamani Quispe each received 671 votes, equivalent to 27.739% of the valid votes.

The tie was resolved on November 4 in a public draw organized by electoral authorities. A one-sol coin was used for the draw; the sol is Peru’s official currency. Rubén Quispe Capajaña, the Somos Perú party candidate, had chosen one side of the coin beforehand. The toss declared him the winner and secured him the mayor’s office.

Although unusual, this procedure is provided for under Peru’s electoral law: when two candidates receive an equal number of votes, the winner is chosen by lot.

Salomino Mamani Quispe, the losing candidate, acknowledged that the draw was legal. Nevertheless, he called for the rules to be changed and proposed a second round of voting in the event of a tie. With the votes unable to produce a winner, a coin toss decided who would lead the municipality.