The Special Electoral Jury (JEE) of Lima Centro 2 declared the inadmissibility of the candidacy of Mario Enrique Vizcarra Cornejowho headed the list for the Senate for the Peru First Political Party with the number 1.
According to the Resolution No. 00168-2026-JEE-LIC2/JNEthe exclusion is based on the fact that Vizcarra registers a final conviction for the crime of embezzlement. The electoral body determined that This situation constitutes an insurmountable impediment in accordance with article 113 of the Organic Law of Elections and article 34-A of the Political Constitution, which prohibit the nomination of people convicted of crimes of corruption of officials, even if they have already been rehabilitated.
JNE decision will play an important role
The electoral race of Mario Vizcarra enters a definitive stage after its exclusion from the Senate list by the JEE. The presidential candidate now has a peremptory deadline of three business days to file an appeal, seeking that the Plenary Session of the National Elections Jury (JNE) revoke the measure and allow him to continue in the electoral race.
This setback in the parliamentary list adds to the delicate situation of his presidential candidacy. Recently, the JEE Lima Centro 1 declared three objections founded against his candidacy for the presidency, a decision that has already been appealed by the party. Peru First.
The highest electoral court is expected to issue a final ruling this week. The resolution of the JNE will be decisive, as it will not only define whether Vizcarra can lead the presidential ticket, but will also mark the fate of his candidacy for the Senate in view of the 2026 elections. For now, the leader of the political organization remains waiting for a ruling that could leave him out of the race definitively.
Peru First presented antecedents of the TC that would favor Mario Vizcarra
In an attempt to reverse the exclusion of its leader, the party Peru First has put on the table four recent rulings from the Constitutional Court (TC) that could force the JNE to annul the strikes against Mario Vizcarra. The legal strategy of the political organization is based on rulings issued in 2025, which establish that preventing the application of rehabilitated citizens violates fundamental rights.
The main argument is based on the ruling No. 171/2025 (Eduardo Carhuaricra case), where the TC determined that the restrictions of Law No. 30717 are unconstitutional when applied to people who have already served their sentence and recovered their civil rights. According to the highest interpreter of the Constitution, prohibiting the application of a rehabilitated person “ignores the fundamental principle of resocialization”, which is why he urged the JNE not to repeat these prohibitions under threat of coercive measures.
Vizcarra’s defense also invoked three other rulings from last year that reinforce this position. In it case of Víctor Huarca (sentence 113/2025)the TC annulled the impediment against the municipal candidate of the province of Caylloma, Arequipa, during the 2022 Regional and Municipal elections, pointing out that the JNE violated due process and the right to political participation.
In the Roberto Yep and Edwin Navarro cases (sentences 109/2025 and 31/2025related to convictions for embezzlement and embezzlement, the Court ratified that, once rehabilitation is obtained, the State cannot restrict a citizen’s right to be elected.
