A recent survey by Ipsos reveals that Peru’s presidential runoff election has become a dead heat between the two remaining candidates ahead of Sunday’s decisive vote.
The leftist contender Roberto Sanchez, who has connections to the previously removed and imprisoned former President Pedro Castillo, has narrowed the gap considerably and now holds 43.8% support according to the polling data released Thursday. His opponent, conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori, whose father previously served as president, captured 43.2% of voter intentions in the same survey.
The numbers show a dramatic shift from Ipsos polling conducted on May 31, which had Fujimori leading with 38% compared to Sanchez’s 35%, while 27% of respondents remained undecided at that time.
Key details from the latest polling:
• The survey was completed on June 3 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1%, according to sources familiar with Ipsos methodology.
• Approximately 13% of those polled indicated they would submit blank or invalid ballots.
• Fujimori, making her fourth presidential bid and known for her pro-market positions, secured victory in the initial round of voting on April 12 with 17.18% of the vote.
• Sanchez finished as the runner-up in that first round, earning 12.03% of votes cast.
Sanchez has recently adjusted his campaign approach, softening his rhetoric as the runoff approaches.
Peruvian election law prohibits the publication of polling results during the final week before a presidential election, though surveys may still be conducted as long as domestic news outlets do not report the findings.
