Peru's National Justice Board (Junta Nacional de Justicia, JNJ) opened a new public competition on August 25, 2026, to select a permanent head of the National Office of Electoral Processes (Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales, ONPE), after a previous attempt in June failed.
The call, registered as Convocatoria 006-2026-SN/JNJ, was approved by the JNJ's full board, which is chaired by María Teresa Cabrera. It is the second time the board has tried to name a permanent replacement for Bernardo Pachas, who took over as ONPE chief after Piero Corvetto resigned.
The JNJ is the body responsible for appointing and removing the heads of Peru's main electoral and justice institutions. ONPE is the state agency in charge of organizing and running the country's elections.
Applicants must pay a registration fee of 430 soles and submit their application through the JNJ's online extranet portal.
Candidates will then go through four stages of evaluation: a knowledge test, a review of their professional background, a work plan and a personal interview. The knowledge test carries a weight of 25% of the final score, the background review and work plan 20% each, and the personal interview 35%. Applicants must score at least 70 out of 100 points at each stage to continue in the process.
An incomplete timeline
Unlike the two previous processes to choose an ONPE chief, which lasted 101 days in 2020 and 65 days earlier this year, the JNJ has not published a full schedule this time. In both earlier contests, the board set out a calendar covering every stage, from the call for applications through to the swearing-in of the new head of the office.
This time, according to the rules of the competition, the published calendar only covers activities up to October 9, when the results of the knowledge test and the list of applicants who qualify for the next stage will be announced. Dates for the remaining stages of the process were not included.
The JNJ said the schedule for the other stages of the competition would be announced in due course.
Key dates in the process
The call for applications and the rules of the competition were published on August 25, 2026. Applicants must pay the registration fee between September 1 and 7 p.m. on September 7.
The application form and supporting documents must be submitted through the JNJ's extranet between September 2 and noon on September 8.
A preventive declaration of interests must be filed with the Comptroller General's conflict-of-interest declaration system by 11:59 p.m. on September 8.
Applicants seeking a bonus under Peru's General Law on Persons with Disabilities must submit the relevant certificate within three days of the publication, from September 2, of the results of any reconsideration appeals against the curriculum review.
Between September 9 and 18, the JNJ will assess whether applicants meet the basic eligibility requirements. On September 21 and 22, applicants will be able to correct any issues flagged in their submitted documents.
The list of applicants who qualify to continue in the process will be published on September 28. Those candidates will then move on to the first evaluation stage, the knowledge test, which is scheduled for October 9.
