LIMA — Conservative leader Keiko Fujimori holds a strong edge in Peru’s April presidential election first round, with 99.76% of ballots counted as of Tuesday, electoral authorities report. Leftist Roberto Sanchez trails in second, setting up a June 7 runoff since no candidate secured a majority.
Fujimori, daughter of imprisoned ex-President Alberto Fujimori and now on her fourth presidential bid, commands 17.17% of the vote. Sanchez, supported by incarcerated former President Pedro Castillo, follows at 12%, edging out ultra-conservative ex-Lima Mayor Rafael Lopez Aliaga’s 11.91% by about 15,000 votes. Peru’s National Jury of Elections expects official results by May 15, delayed by logistical issues and fraud accusations.
The drawn-out tally has sparked controversy, including claims from Lopez Aliaga that led to the resignation of the top electoral official, now probed by prosecutors. European Union monitors detected no solid proof of irregularities. Roughly 50,000 votes from several thousand ballots remain, but trends suggest little change.
Right-wing forces, including Fujimori and Lopez Aliaga, would dominate Peru’s revived bicameral Congress after April’s general vote. Markets jitter over Sanchez’s rise and his pledge to scrutinize mining and gas contracts. The sol has slid versus the dollar lately, with traders eyeing a potential left-right runoff reminiscent of 2021, when Castillo upset Fujimori.
Analyst Cesar Huiman of Renta4 noted, “The market prices in Sanchez’s second-round entry, like 2021.” An Ipsos poll from April 26 shows both at 38% in a hypothetical runoff, amid high rejection rates: 48% firmly oppose Fujimori (down from 59%), while 43% reject Sanchez (up from 39%).
Peru, a top copper and farm exporter, endures political chaos, eight presidents in a decade, many jailed, yet remains Latin America’s steadiest economy.