Delia Espinoza has been elected the new dean of the Lima Bar Association (CAL), decisively defeating lawyer Humberto Abanto in a runoff election. The vote took place at the National University of Major San Marcos (UNMSM), with polling stations open from 8:00 a.m. To 4:00 p.m., according to the CAL Electoral Committee.
The final count, released by the Colegio de Abogados de Lima, showed Espinoza Valenzuela securing 29,371 votes, while Abanto Verástegui received 16,591. “According to these results, Delia Espinoza Valenzuela obtains the majority of votes, being elected as the new dean of the CAL,” the association stated.
Espinoza described the election process as “a long, but festive and peaceful day,” emphasizing that the event unfolded as expected. In a video released by the Lima Bar Association, she expressed gratitude for the commitment of members who traveled from various locations to exercise their right to vote. She stated that the high turnout represents a strengthening of the institution. “The act that you have completed has allowed the reaffirmation of democracy in our illustrious Bar Association,” she said.
Espinoza pledged to work inclusively, stating, “We will work under our new administration for all members, without distinction.” Her primary objective, she added, is to restore the institution’s standing within Peruvian society. “We want our college to regain that prestige and to always be, or to be, the beacon of legal thinking, that legal conscience that our country deserves,” she said.
Both Espinoza, representing list 3, and Abanto, from list 11, advanced to the runoff after neither candidate secured more than 50% of the vote in the first round held on February 28th. In that initial election, over 48,000 members participated, with Espinoza receiving 18,899 votes and Abanto garnering 12,604, necessitating the runoff to determine the new dean.
The CAL election similarly included the election of members to the Board of Directors, the Supervisory Board, and delegates to the General Assembly, for the period between April 1, 2026, and March 31, 2028.
Delia Espinoza Valenzuela is a lawyer, having earned her degree from the National University of Major San Marcos. She also completed doctoral studies in Law and Political Science at the same university. She has held various positions within the Public Ministry, including provisional provincial fiscal assistant, titular provincial fiscal, and titular superior fiscal. She served as the Nation’s Prosecutor from November 2024 to September 2025.
