Keiko Fujimori, the right-wing candidate in Peru’s presidential election, holds a razor-thin lead of just 35,000 votes over her left-wing rival, Roberto Sánchez. With more than 99% of ballots counted, Fujimori has secured 50.097% of the vote compared to Sánchez’s 49.903%, according to Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE).
A Narrow Margin in a Polarized Race
Fujimori—the daughter of former authoritarian President Alberto Fujimori, who ruled Peru from 1990 to 2000—is ahead of Sánchez among nearly 19 million votes cast. However, no official winner will be declared until electoral authorities resolve outstanding challenges related to vote counting. As of June 16, 2026, approximately 256,000 ballots remained under review due to irregularities or disputes.
Final official results are not expected before the end of June, ONPE officials confirmed.
Allegations and Calls for Protest
Sánchez’s party, Juntos por el Perú (“Together for Peru”), issued a statement criticizing what it described as a lack of transparency by electoral authorities, last-minute rule changes, and numerous procedural irregularities—though it did not provide specific details.
A week earlier, when early tallies suggested Sánchez was on course to win, his coalition had pledged to respect the final outcome regardless of the result. But on June 16, the party called for a demonstration in Lima on Friday, June 19, under the banner “Let’s defend the vote, the people’s victory, and democracy.”
Fujimori’s team, meanwhile, said it would wait for the full count to conclude before declaring victory.
International Observers Note Calm Process
The European Union’s election observation mission assessed the second-round vote as having been conducted in a “calm and orderly” manner, despite an intensely polarized campaign.
The election takes place against a backdrop of deep political fragmentation and prolonged instability in Peru. The person sworn in on July 28 will be the ninth president in the past decade.