The race to run Peru's capital is still up in the air. Lima's mayoral election, held Sunday, Oct. 4, will likely be settled by election judges, not the regular count.

As of Wednesday afternoon, with 92.729% of tally sheets counted, the Renovación Popular list led by Rafael López Aliaga had 27.703% of valid votes, El Comercio reported. Francis Allison of Avanza País had 26.841%. The gap was 44,978 votes. The count had barely moved since Monday.

That is because 1,921 of Lima's 26,351 tally sheets were sent to special election juries, known as JEE. Those sheets were flagged for errors or were challenged during the count. Now the juries must sort them. Some may lead to a public recount. Any appeal goes to the National Elections Jury, or JNE.

There is no fixed deadline for the juries to rule, lawyer Silvia Guevara told El Comercio. Fixed deadlines apply only to regional races headed for a runoff. Guevara and two other election lawyers estimated that final Lima results could take about a month. A JNE adviser, Jorge Valdivia, said a progress report on the juries' rulings could come out Friday, Oct. 9. No recount hearing had been scheduled in Lima as of Thursday's report.

The margin is closer than early hopes for López Aliaga suggested. An exit poll by Datum International for América Televisión put his list at 31.2% and Allison at 25.2%, Latin Times reported. Carlos Bruce of Somos Perú was third at 15.9%.

There is a second fight, too. Peru's constitution bars mayors from immediate reelection. Critics say the way López Aliaga got on the ballot gets around that rule, Latin Times said. The JNE has not ruled on whether to give him the mayor's credential or hand it to the next eligible person on his party's council list.

What we know: López Aliaga leads by about 45,000 votes, with more than 1,900 tally sheets under review.
What we don't: Who will win, when the juries will finish, and whether López Aliaga can legally take office.