Key facts
- Presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez will not recognize Peru's runoff election results, alleging fraud.
- Sánchez's campaign seeks to reject overseas ballots due to alleged improper processing.
- Keiko Fujimori holds a narrow lead with 99.8% of votes counted.
- Fujimori secured an insurmountable lead with 50.1% of the vote to Sánchez's 49.9%.
Peruvian presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez announced he will not recognize the results of the runoff election, alleging fraud and irregularities in the processing of ballots cast by Peruvians living abroad. With 99.8% of votes counted, Sánchez trails his conservative rival, Keiko Fujimori, by approximately 43,386 votes. Sánchez's campaign has petitioned to reject overseas ballots, claiming that consulates did not follow proper scanning procedures. However, Peru's Foreign Affairs Ministry stated that electoral officials authorized an alternative method for processing these ballots directly in Lima. Overseas voters, numbering over 307,000, largely favored Fujimori. Fujimori, daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, secured an insurmountable lead late Tuesday, setting her on track to assume the presidency. This expected victory deepens Latin America's rightward shift as voters concerned about crime have gravitated towards hardline candidates.