LIMA, Peru — Two candidates with connections to controversial former leaders have taken the top spots in Peru’s presidential election as vote counting stretched into its fourth consecutive day Wednesday.
Keiko Fujimori, whose father is a former president now in disgrace, holds the lead with conservative Roberto Sánchez, a nationalist legislator and ex-government minister, running second as election officials work through ballot tallies.
Voting had to be extended through Monday because ballots failed to reach polling locations on time.
Official tallies from 90% of ballots cast show Fujimori capturing 16.95% of votes, with Sánchez securing 11.99%. Ultra-conservative Rafael López Aliaga, Lima’s former mayor, follows closely behind in third with 11.94%.
Widespread logistical problems prevented thousands of citizens both domestically and internationally from casting their votes. Election authorities responded by permitting over 52,000 Lima residents to vote Monday. The voting extension, declared after Sunday evening’s count had already begun, also applied to Peruvian voters in Orlando, Florida, and Paterson, New Jersey.
Since no candidate can claim victory without securing more than half of all votes, the top two vote-getters will compete in a runoff scheduled for June 7.
The eventual victor will become Peru’s ninth leader in a decade, taking over from José María Balcázar, who assumed the interim presidency in February. Balcázar succeeded another temporary leader who was removed due to corruption charges after serving just four months.
Making her fourth attempt at the presidency, Fujimori has campaigned on reducing criminal activity while simultaneously supporting legislation that legal experts claim hampers criminal prosecutions. Her party has backed measures eliminating pre-trial detention in specific circumstances and increasing requirements for confiscating criminal proceeds.
Should she win, Fujimori plans to make criminal case judges anonymous and require inmates to work for their meals.
Sánchez previously served as foreign trade minister under Castillo and has vowed to use presidential pardoning authority to free his former boss if elected. Throughout his campaign, he has frequently donned a traditional wide-brimmed Andean hat given to him by Pedro Castillo, his political mentor who is currently imprisoned.
The delayed counting process echoes Peru’s 2021 presidential contest, which required five full days after polling ended to complete final vote tallies.
