JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: To a different very story now, Peru is awaiting the final official tally of votes from Sunday's presidential elections and bracing for more protests if President Alberto Fujimori wins outright. The main opposition candidate and election monitors say that there were voting irregularities and fraud. CNN's Harris Whitbeck joins us now from Lima with the latest -- Harris.</s>HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Judy, it's been 72 hours since the polls closed in Sunday's election, and that delay has international observers and voters and participants in that election quite concerned. The delay has concerned also thousands of supporters of opposition candidate Alejandro Toledo, who gathered -- have been gathered since early this morning at a plaza in a downtown Lima. They have been expressing their discontent with the current situation, what they call "massive irregularities." Those protesters, who have gathered peacefully, have been singing and chanting that President Alberto Fujimori must go or at least undo this -- quote -- "massive fraud." Nearby, that is near the hotel that serves as a headquarters for the international press, a group of protesters staged a symbolic public funeral for the -- quote -- "moral legitimacy of the national electoral authority," which they say is responsible for the returns that show President Fujimori nearing an absolute majority in this first round of voting. Opposition candidate Toledo and the international community insist that massive irregularities and fraud took place, and CNN has learned that the -- one of the main international observation missions here has decided that if in fact President Fujimori is declared a winner in this first round of voting, that they will declare that this electoral process is not considered to be valid -- Judy.</s>WOODRUFF: All right, CNN's Harris Whitbeck reporting live from Lima, Peru. Thank you. Search CNN.com CNNSI.com CNNmoney.com The Web
Election Monitors Complain of Voting Irregularities and Fraud in Peruvian Election