Key facts
- Peru's presidential election is extremely close between Roberto Sanchez and Keiko Fujimori.
- With 97.69% of votes tallied, Sanchez leads Fujimori by approximately 10,000 votes.
- Overseas votes have largely favored Fujimori, while domestic ballots are nearly all counted.
- The final outcome may be decided by a lengthy legal battle over approximately 400,000 contested ballots.
- The election process could take several weeks to determine a definitive winner.
Peru's presidential election remains in a tight race between conservative Keiko Fujimori and leftist Roberto Sanchez, with the final outcome likely hinging on a lengthy legal battle over contested ballots. As the vote count entered its fourth day, Sanchez's lead narrowed to approximately 10,000 votes, or 50.03% to Fujimori's 49.97%, with 97.69% of votes tallied. Overseas votes have largely favored Fujimori, while the number of ballots flagged for judicial review is substantial, representing about 1.7% of all polling stations. Election officials and monitoring groups suggest the winner may not be determined for several weeks, pending reviews of contested votes. Markets, which had previously sold off on Sanchez's rising poll numbers, settled on Wednesday, with the main stock index up 1.2% and the sol currency down 0.6% against the dollar. Analysts suggest markets are banking on Fujimori's victory due to conservative expatriate votes and anticipate that either winner will face a restrained Congress.