Peru’s presidential runoff remained too close to call on Monday as conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori clung to a narrow lead over leftist rival Roberto Sánchez, with more than 70 per cent of ballots counted. Fujimori, daughter of the jailed former strongman Alberto Fujimori, held 52.60 per cent to Sánchez’s 47.39 per cent, according to official tallies cited by Spanish daily *El Mundo* . The margin, while shrinking from earlier projections, still left the race in flux as the final results await confirmation.
The contest has exposed deep divisions in a country still grappling with the legacy of Fujimori’s 1990s rule and the 2022 ousting of leftist president Pedro Castillo. Sánchez, a lawmaker from the Juntos por el Perú coalition, visited Castillo in prison on Sunday, a symbolic gesture that underscored the polarised stakes of the election . Fujimori, running for a fourth time, has framed the vote as a referendum on order versus radical change, while Sánchez portrays himself as the champion of Peru’s marginalised majority.
Preliminary results from the first round in April showed both candidates well short of a majority, with Fujimori and Sánchez each capturing less than 30 per cent of the vote . The runoff has since been marred by allegations of irregularities, including claims of voter intimidation and procedural disputes, prompting calls for calm from international observers. “The political climate remains tense,” noted German daily *Handelsblatt* .
Analysts warn that a Sánchez victory could trigger backlash from conservative elites and security forces, while a Fujimori win risks further alienating rural and indigenous communities that backed Castillo. The *Financial Times* described the race as “a neck-and-neck contest between the daughter of an autocrat and a leftist lawmaker” . With the final outcome hanging in the balance, Peru’s electoral authority has pledged to release updated tallies by Tuesday, though tensions show no sign of easing.