In the Peruvian district of Conima, the winner of the mayoral election was decided by a coin toss after two candidates received the same number of votes. This was reported by La República.
In the municipal elections on 4 October, Rubén Quispe Capajana of the «We Are Peru» party and Salomino Mamani Quispe of the «A Country for All» party each received 671 votes. The tie was confirmed after all the tally sheets had been counted.
A special commission held a public draw. First, the candidates' representatives drew numbered slips of paper to determine who would toss the coin. The representative of the «We Are Peru» party won the right to choose first. He selected one of five one-sol coins and called the side bearing the coat of arms. His opponent was left with the opposite side.
The coin landed with the coat of arms facing up, and Quispe Capajana was declared the winner. He will now head a municipality with a population of around 3,500 people.
The politician told local media that it was the first time he had taken part in an election whose outcome was decided in this way. He admitted that he had come to the procedure confident of success and had personally advised his representative to choose the side with the coat of arms.
Peruvian law provides for a coin toss in the event of a tie in local elections. Previously, commissions could use other methods of drawing lots, but the National Jury of Elections has established a uniform procedure: in such cases, a one-sol coin is used.
