By Deutsche Welle
The leftist Roberto Sánchez took the lead in the vote counting of the second electoral round in Peru and beat the right-wing Keiko Fujimori by a small margin, in a race whose outcome is still uncertain.
With just over 94% of the minutes counted, Sánchez had 50.03% of the votes, compared to Fujimori’s 49.9%, a difference of less than 10,000 votes, according to the results of the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE).
So that Sunday’s ballot has a winner, Contested records containing some 450,000 votes must also be reviewed, which can take days.
“We are very confident and optimistic, with peace of mind to respect the results 100%,” Sánchez told reporters this Monday.
Shortly before, Fujimori also urged calm. “We have to wait until the closing. What is appropriate at this time is patience and serenity. We are going to respect the result whatever it may be,” he stated.
technical tie
The runoff pitted the daughter of the late former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) against the political heir of the former president Pedro Castillo, imprisoned after a failed self-coup in 2022.
It is the fourth time that Fujimori competes for the presidency, while for Sánchez it is his first nomination.
Many voters said they hope the new government will end the crime that plagues the country. and the political turbulence that caused Peru to have eight presidents since 2016.
“It is a technical tie, it is for anyone. It is a result that can be reversed in the following hours, there is no talk of a winner yet,” election specialist José Tello told AFP.
