JNE calls on non-proclaimed citizens to replace mayors on leave

The National Jury of Elections (JNE) has temporarily invalidated the credentials of mayors and councilors who took unpaid leave to participate in the 2026 Regional and Municipal Elections (ERM 2026) and called upon non-proclaimed citizens to provisionally assume those positions. These decisions are contained in resolutions N° 3098-2026-JNE, N° 3742-2026-JNE, and N° 3750-2026-JNE, published in the Official Gazette El Peruano N° 19576, on Thursday, October 15, 2026, in the Legal Norms section.

Supreme Decree N° 001-2026-PCM called for the ERM 2026 for Sunday, October 4, 2026. Resolution N° 00746-2025-JNE specified that requests for unpaid leave had to be submitted by June 16, 2026, and take effect from September 4, 2026, thirty calendar days before the election; Resolution N° 00747-2025-JNE stipulated that these leaves end on election day and that authorities resume their duties the following day.

Law N° 27972, Organic Law of Municipalities (LOM), regulates the replacement: the mayor is replaced by the deputy mayor or the first eligible councilor from their own list, and councilors by alternates according to the order of precedence (Article 24). Paragraph 27 of Article 9 prohibits granting simultaneous leaves to more than 40% of the councilors, and Article 25 sets a maximum of thirty calendar days per leave.

Arequipa: the 40% cap forces a choice among councilors

Resolution N° 3098-2026-JNE (Case File N° JNE.2026234352) resolved the case of the District Municipality of Nicolás de Piérola, province of Camaná, department of Arequipa. The council, composed of five councilors, approved simultaneous leaves for mayor Nelson Ricardo Tito Eguía and three councilors, equivalent to 60% of the legal number and above the legal cap.

The Plenary addressed the requests according to the order of submission:

• César Fernando Neira Huallpa, councilor, submitted his request on June 9, 2026.
• Jeitter Jhoni Cutipa Mamani, councilor, on June 10, 2026.
• Yeny Karina Ramos Álvarez, councilor, on June 16, 2026.

Therefore, it declared the call linked to Ramos Álvarez inadmissible and ordered her to provisionally assume the mayoralty, as she is the first eligible councilor. It also called Anyela Yessenia Paniura Coaquira (DNI N° 70520538), Juan Carlos Santos Prado (DNI N° 30427227), and Tania Arletti Zavala Colque (DNI N° 70651050) as councilors, after the lists of Fuerza Arequipeña and Arequipa, Tradición y Futuro were exhausted.

Cusco and Callao: new provisional mayors and councilors

Resolution No. 3742-2026-JNE (Case Files No. JNE.2026230154, No. JNE.2026229095, and No. JNE.2026229092) consolidated three proceedings from the District Municipality of Santiago, province and department of Cusco. The council, consisting of eleven councilors, approved the leaves of absence for mayor Sergio Sullca Condori and councilors Salomé Páucar Martínez and Avelina Pareja Quispe through Council Agreements No. 027, 028, and 029-2026-CM-MDS/C, dated June 26, 2026.

The JNE summoned Libio Julio Tárraga Huallpa (DNI No. 23840761) as mayor and Annidia Shomara Obregón Olivera (DNI No. 42843856), Yerdi Yenica Bocángel Castillo (DNI No. 45446334), and David Delgado Cereceda (DNI No. 42903638) as councilors.

Meanwhile, Resolution No. 3750-2026-JNE (Case File No. JNE.2026272314) refers to the District Municipality of Carmen de la Legua-Reynoso, Constitutional Province of Callao. Council Agreement No. 017-2026-MDCLR, dated August 20, 2026, granted a leave of absence to mayor Edwards Javier Infante López; the Plenary summoned Jonathan Raúl Neyra Choquehuanca (DNI No. 44339653) as mayor and Williams Stefano Mark Cárdenas Aedo (DNI No. 76870570) as councilor.

A day with dozens of summons across the country

The three resolutions are part of a broad block published on the same day, covering districts and provinces in at least twelve departments. The summons include:

• Pocsi (Arequipa), Res. No. 3741-2026-JNE.
• Zarumilla (Tumbes), Res. No. 3749-2026-JNE.
• La Molina (Lima), Res. No. 3754-2026-JNE.
• Paucará (Huancavelica), Res. No. 3744-2026-JNE.
• Caicay (Cusco), Res. No. 3745-2026-JNE.
• San Pedro (Áncash), Res. No. 3746-2026-JNE.
• Tocache (San Martín), Res. No. 3747-2026-JNE.
• Pacora (Lambayeque), Res. No. 3748-2026-JNE.
• San Pablo de Pillao (Huánuco), Res. No. 3753-2026-JNE.
• Chilete (Cajamarca), Res. No. 3756-2026-JNE.

All summons are effective for the same period: from September 4 to October 4, 2026, and the summoned citizens receive the credential that authorizes them to hold the office.

The impact is direct on local governance: the JNE completes the formation of the councils while the titular authorities compete in the 2026 ERM, and establishes a uniform criterion regarding the 40% limit on simultaneous leaves of absence that municipalities must observe in future electoral processes.

Source: Official Gazette El Peruano, No. 19576, Thursday, October 15, 2026, Legal Norms section, pp. 52, 69, and 82 (official references: Res. No. 3098-2026-JNE, Res. No. 3742-2026-JNE, and Res. No. 3750-2026-JNE).