Peru's hidden re-election tactic puts sitting mayors back in power

Two sitting mayors in Peru have been proclaimed for new municipal terms despite a constitutional ban on immediate re-election. Hermógenes Lozano Trigoso, provincial mayor of Condorcanqui in Amazonas, and Carlos Francois Hidalgo Reátegui, district mayor of Zapatero in San Martín, were both elected in 2022 and ran as first councilors in the October 4 regional and municipal elections.

The mechanism, known as hidden re-election, works when a mayoral candidate resigns during the electoral process, leaving the first councilor—often the sitting mayor barred from running again—to take office if the list wins. RPP's electoral coverage initially identified 62 mayors elected in 2022 who ran for council seats in their own municipalities.

On October 30, the Special Electoral Jury of Bagua proclaimed Lozano Trigoso for the 2027-2030 term. His list, Somos Perú, won 6,804 votes, or 30.785 percent of valid votes, ahead of the Amazonian Regional Movement United to the Field with 3,226 votes and Alliance for Progress with 2,891.

A similar case unfolded in Zapatero, in Lamas province, San Martín, where the sitting mayor was proclaimed after running as first councilor following the resignation of the mayoral candidate. Infobae reported that the phenomenon repeats in at least 18 districts and provinces nationwide.

The National Elections Court is now debating how special electoral juries should handle these proclamations, as some have ruled differently. Only the Ica jury proclaimed the second councilor instead, because the elected first councilor is the sitting mayor. Sources told RPP that a unified ruling from the full court is expected soon.