Under opposition from Sánchez, Keiko Fujimori achieves an irreversible advantage in the presidential race in Peru; official result was not proclaimed

Far-right candidate Keiko Fujimori (Fuerza Popular) achieved a mathematically irreversible advantage over left-wing representative Roberto Sánchez (Juntos por él Perú) in Peru’s presidential race. With 99.86% of the ballot boxes counted, Fujimori received 50.118% of the votes, against Sánchez’s 49.882%, a difference of more than 43 thousand votes that can no longer be reversed by the approximately 40 thousand remaining votes corresponding to 131 electoral records.

The result is contested by the opponent. According to Sánchez, the vote held outside the country was marked by administrative failures and problems in the custody of electoral ballots. The candidate maintains that the approximately 300,000 votes registered abroad largely favored Fujimori and were decisive in changing the result of the count.

In a press conference held on Tuesday (23), Sánchez stated that he will not recognize a possible government of his opponent and once again denounced irregularities in the voting of Peruvians residing abroad.

“We will not recognize Mrs. Fujimori’s government,” declared the candidate of the Juntos por el Perú coalition, who accuses the electoral bodies of favoring the candidate from the Força Popular party.

This week, the left-wing campaign presented a new appeal asking for the annulment of votes cast abroad, alleging the existence of “electoral fraud” and “insane defects” in the process. The request adds to other appeals already presented throughout the investigation.

On Tuesday, however, the National Elections Jury (JNE) rejected one of the nullity requests presented by Sánchez’s campaign, alleging that the request was filed after the deadline and without paying the fees required by electoral legislation.

Official result has not been announced

Although Fujimori’s advantage is considered definitive from a mathematical point of view, the official result has not yet been proclaimed. The National Office of Electoral Processes (Onpe) reported that it is awaiting the resolution of observed minutes and pending appeals to complete the official count.

Experts interviewed by the Peruvian press say that vote recount hearings and the analysis of the last appeals presented by the left before the formal proclamation of the winner are still missing. According to information published by the newspaper The Commercethe presidential results proclamation ceremony could take place on July 7.

If victory is confirmed, Keiko Fujimori will return Fujimorism to the Government Palace more than two decades after the fall of her father, Alberto Fujimori, dictator who governed Peru between 1990 and 2000 and was later convicted of corruption and crimes against humanity.

The election exposed the country’s strong political polarization. While Fujimori achieved his best results on the Peruvian coast and in important urban centers, Sánchez had superior performance in the Andean and rural regions. The fight against organized crime was the main axis of the right-wing candidate’s campaign, while the left-wing candidate focused his speech on strengthening public institutions and reducing social inequalities.

The winner will take office on July 28 for a five-year term, in a country that has experienced a prolonged period of political instability and has had eight presidents since 2016.