Rafael López Aliaga He can no longer hide his intention to apply for the Presidency of the Republic. In an intervention in Congress, he announced that will ask for a temporary license since October 12 to evaluate your candidacy and “personal security.” The announcement coincided with the exhortation of the Special Electoral Jury (JEE) Lima Centro to refrain from campaigning while being mayor, after an inspection report that detected 53 proselytizing elements —Pints, panels and banners – with the phrase “President 2026” and symbols of popular renewal.
The report concluded that “I would have violated the principle of neutrality”although the file was filed for not meeting the regulatory conditions to apply a sanction. Even so, this is not the only episode evidenced by the Republic where the burgomaster violated electoral neutrality from the CALL OF GENERAL ELECTIONS 2026on March 26, 2025.
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Rafael López Aliaga violated the neutrality principle up to 5 opportunities
- Headquarters of the Hospital de la Solidaridad in Arequipa
“I am on license, no (I am) as mayor, I come as a brother of popular renewal,” said López Aliaga in Arequipa, in an event after inaugurating a new headquarters of the Hospital de la Solidaridad. The mayor use that trip (April 2, 2025) to make a clear political propaganda to his party: “Four years ago renewal was at zero, we were very little and now throughout Peru, I see that it is present (…) I continue giving it to work and leaving my life in Lima to show that you can govern without corruption.” These words were followed by harangues like “Porky President! Porky is security, so Porky President!”, Explicitly promoting his image and his party.
For the expert on electoral issues, Jorge Jáuregui, this fact and other similar ones show a clear dissemination of public works, an action that the State is prohibited once they are convened to general elections. Jáuregui explained that with these actions the burgomaster infringed, exactly, article 192 of the Organic Elections Law (LOE).
Said regulations establish that “From the call of the elections, the State is prohibited, through official publications or television or printing stations, public or private, to carry out political propaganda in favor or dissemination of information against any party, independent group or alliance …”. In the light of that framework, the specialist argues that the verification of non -compliance is direct: it is enough to review the Facebook of the Municipality of Lima or the mayor himself, where works such as the headquarters of the Hospital de la Solidaridad in Arequipa are promoted and, more controversially, Lima -Chosic trains. “That is openly an infraction at the beginning of neutrality,” he said.
The same article of the Organic Law of Elections suspends all state advertising during the electoral period, except in cases of taxable need or public utility. For Jáuregui, exhibiting still inoperative trains does not fit that exception: “Is it impossible public need that aliaga shows trains that do not work? No,” he said.
In the midst of the dispute between the Municipality of Lima and the Ministry of Transportation for that project, the argument of Jáuregui becomes strength: the presentations and the official dissemination of these works would not qualify as a public need, so they would configure an infraction to the principle of neutrality.
- Presentation of Lima-Chosic Trains
On July 14, López Aliaga organized a great magnitude event to present the Lima-Chosic trains that had been “donated” by the United States. The event held in the Park of La Muralla was attended by singers and the presence of politicians of the popular renewal party. More than a protocol event, it seemed like a political campaign rally, which was confirmed after the words given by its deputy mayor Renzo Reggiardo.
“I say it again, with my heart in my hand. Our dear Rafael will have to make the decision he considers and I am sure he will meditate a lot (…) I am convinced that if our mayor decides to apply to be a candidate for the presidency of the Republic, he will have all our support and all of you, and I am sure that he will be a great president,” he exclaimed at full voice, making a clear political campaign to the still mayor of Lima.
The Jee Lima Centro 1 opened an inspection report by those statements, considering a possible breach of the principle of electoral neutrality. The discharges of Lieutenant Mayor arrived at this newspaper, who cited article 346 of the Organic Law of Elections – “is prohibited to any political authority to practice acts of any nature that favor or harm a certain party or candidate” – to maintain that there was no infraction, since Rafael López Aliaga is not an official candidate.
However, this defense loses livelihood against article 192 of the same law, explained above lines, which prohibits from the call of the process the use of official publications or means to disseminate propaganda in favor or against organizations or candidacies, regardless of the formal registration of the applicant.
The mayor of Lima also faces an inspection report for the alleged use of his pet “Worky” or “Porky Junior” as a symbol associated with popular renewal in official acts.
According to Jáuregui, the single use of the institutional channels of the Municipality of Lima to disseminate public policies during the electoral period already configures an infraction to article 192 of the Organic Law of Elections. If, in addition, elements such as the “Porky” doll, the party colors or themes aligned to the ideological position of the party (family, religion) are incorporated, the proselytizing character of his message is reinforced, ceasing to be neutral management of management.
- Water well installation in Huaycan
The third case identified as violation of neutrality occurred on August 30, during the installation of a new water well in Huaycán, in an official act of the Municipality of Lima. In that activity, the mayor not only presented public policies, but also introduced electoral proposals by stating: “In the government plan that I am writing, I am raising, precisely, completely restructuring Sedapal. We have to start by increasing the rate to those people who have so much water that even fill pool …”
- Delivery of motorcycles to communities of Puno
A day after the act in Huaycán, the Plaza Mayor de Lima brought together representatives of various populated centers of Puno for the delivery of 80 motorcycles, donation managed by Fundación Lima.
Although the contribution was of private origin, the ceremony had institutional participation of the municipality – a municipal space and dissemination in official channels -, which implied the use of public resources in the organization, protocol and coverage of the event. Like the previous cases, it constitutes a public policy that violates article 192 of the LOE.
- BENEFICAL DINNER IN MADRID, SPAIN
The most recent public event, disseminated by the networks of the mayor himself, was a fundraising dinner in Madrid (Spain), which brought together politicians, singers Raúl Romero and Mauricio Mesones, and the excuseal Juan Luis Cipriani, questioned on various fronts. In his speech, Rafael López Aliaga reviewed works of his management that – according to what was documented in this article – were promoted as public policies and have been indicated by violating electoral neutrality by spreading in institutional acts and channels.
According to the specialist Jorge Jáuregui, the five facts identified would not only contravene the Organic Law of Elections, but also the Political Constitution of Peru. He recalled that article 31 establishes: “The law establishes the mechanisms to guarantee state neutrality during electoral and citizen participation processes”, so neutrality is not only a parameter for electoral regulations, but a standard of constitutional rank.
Jáuregui adds that, in the light of article 3 – which recognizes as fundamental rights not only those of article 2, but also those that the Constitution guarantees -, state neutrality is configured as a fundamental right of citizenship. Consequently, he maintains, the political authorities cannot use their position or public resources to favor candidacies, since this violates the duty of impartiality that covers the exercise of the vote in equitable conditions.
