Peruvians vote in crowded polls

Peruvians headed to the polls on Sunday to vote for a new president and members of Congress, casting ballots in a first-round field of more than 30 presidential candidates after years of political turmoil that have eroded confidence in institutions and left voters deeply disillusioned.



With no clear frontrunner and all major candidates polling well below the 50% needed to win outright, a June 7 runoff appears likely.



That could prolong uncertainty in the world's third-largest copper producer at a time of rising crime and intensifying competition for influence between the United States and China.



Voting stations opened at 7 a.m. local time, with about 27 million people eligible to vote.



Early in the day, voters in parts of Lima complained that several polling stations had yet to open.



According to one of an eager voter she had waited in line for two hours without being able to enter her ballot station in Chorrillos, a southern district of the capital.