Key facts
- Roberto Sanchez, Peru's leftist presidential candidate, announced he will not recognize the results of the presidential runoff election.
- Sanchez alleged that fraud is underway and that the process is favoring his conservative rival, Keiko Fujimori.
- Fujimori currently holds a narrow lead of 50.11% to 49.89% with 99.72% of the vote counted.
- Sanchez accused Peru's ONPE electoral authority and Fujimori's campaign of irregularities, particularly concerning votes cast abroad.
- Sanchez has called for his supporters to take to the streets in protest.
Peru's leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez declared on Tuesday that he would not recognize the results of the country's presidential runoff election, citing allegations of fraud. This declaration introduces the possibility of an extended political crisis as the nation awaits a final tally in one of its closest presidential races.
At a press conference, Sanchez stated that "fraud is underway" and accused Peru's ONPE electoral authority and Fujimori's campaign of irregularities, particularly concerning votes cast abroad which heavily favored Fujimori. He asserted, "We believe there's been a manipulation of the vote." Sanchez has urged his supporters to protest and called for further marches.
Electoral authorities have been meticulously reviewing contested ballots for weeks. As of early Tuesday, with 99.72% of the total vote counted, Fujimori held a slim lead of 50.11% to Sanchez's 49.89%. Both candidates had previously refrained from claiming victory or conceding defeat due to the tight margin.
Sanchez's party, Together for Peru, secured 32 seats in the 130-member lower house and 14 seats in the Senate. Fujimori's party will hold the largest congressional bloc, with 22 Senate seats and 41 in the lower house. Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the late former President Alberto Fujimori, is making her fourth attempt at the presidency.