Toledo withdraws from Peru election

Mr Fujimori refuses to postpone the election

Peru's opposition candidate Alejandro Toledo has withdrawn from Sunday's presidential run-off election against incumbent Alberto Fujimori, throwing the entire process into doubt.

Mr Toledo says he fears the vote will be rigged unless the election date is pushed back two weeks to give election monitors time to check new, electronic counting systems.

He also asked his supporters to boycott the election.

The announcement came few hours after the Organisation of American States (OAS) decided to temporarily suspend its monitoring of the election, citing problems with the organisation of the vote and demanding the election to be postponed.

President Fujimori had refused to delay the poll saying it would be against the constitution - which states that a second round must be called 30 days after the first election round.

Boycott

Mr Toledo had said that without the postponement of the election the vote would not be free and fair.

Mr Toledo had asked his supporters to boycott the election

OAS observers said they were specially concerned with the computer system for counting votes.

Problems

The OAS' election monitor mission reported "grave irregularities and serious problems at the national level in the working of a new computer system" when it was tested on Sunday in a dry run ahead of the vote.

The mission said it was in the "painful position of having to categorically deny" a statement from Peru's National Election Board which said the system was up and working "and totally ready for the vote".

In the first round on 9 April, Mr Fujimori won but failed to collect an absolute majority needed to avoid a run-off.

International observers including OAS monitors voiced concern about the allegations of voter fraud in the first round.