Overview
- Authorities announced deployments to protect voting: the Interior Ministry will send 53,373 police and the Armed Forces more than 45,000 personnel to secure about 10,000 voting locations for the June 7 second-round presidential election.
- The move follows a string of violent incidents, including an armed attack on the Z Buss terminal in Independencia where motorcycle gunmen fired on the station, and a multi-victim shooting in Piura that left four dead.
- Police investigations are treating the Independencia shooting as likely extortion-related and local reporting says some transport operators on Avenida Alfredo Mendiola are paying a daily 'cupo' of about 30 soles per vehicle to criminal groups.
- Mayors and municipal leaders say extortion and threats have created a climate of fear that hinders public works and administration, and they are preparing joint demands for sustained protection after saying earlier requests yielded limited support.
- Officials stress the electoral deployment mirrors measures used in the first round, but transport operators and local officials warn that organized extortion networks remain active and that lasting security will require follow-up beyond election day.