LIMA — Right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori appears poised to claim victory in Peru’s presidential race by a narrow but expanding margin, with just 0.6% of ballots still awaiting review as of Thursday. Her leftist opponent, Roberto Sanchez, responded by alleging irregularities at the electoral authority and calling on supporters to take to the streets in protest.
Fujimori, running for the presidency for the fourth time, currently holds a lead of 39,115 votes — a gap that has kept the South American nation in suspense since the June 7 runoff election.
As of Thursday morning, roughly 140,000 votes tied to challenged ballots remained under review. Approximately 60% of those contested votes originated from Lima and from Peruvians casting ballots from abroad — regions where Fujimori has historically performed stronger than Sanchez.
Gonzalo Marquez, who leads data consultancy Caleidos, said the remaining votes are unlikely to shift the outcome. “These are areas where Keiko Fujimori should have an advantage,” he said. “So there is no possibility, let’s say, that the result will change.”
The most recent figures from Peru’s elections office show Fujimori, the daughter of the late former President Alberto Fujimori, holding 50.11% of valid votes, compared to 49.89% for Sanchez, with 99.38% of ballots tallied.
If she prevails, Fujimori would make history as the first woman elected directly to Peru’s presidency. She has lost three previous runoffs, including a 2021 defeat at the hands of leftist Pedro Castillo by a margin of just 44,200 votes.
While the painstaking review of disputed ballots continued, Sanchez’s party submitted legal appeals aimed at invalidating votes counted in Fujimori’s favor and announced plans for demonstrations in Lima on Friday.
Election monitoring missions from both the Organization of American States and the European Union independently concluded that the voting process had unfolded normally. Both organizations called on the candidates and the Peruvian public to wait for the final official results before drawing conclusions.
