Peru’s Fujimori holds narrow lead over Sanchez as vote count passes 90pc

LIMA: Peru’s conservative presidential contender Keiko Fujimori maintained a razor-thin lead over her leftist rival Roberto Sanchez on Monday, as the official vote count for the high-stakes runoff election crossed the 90 per cent mark.

According to the latest official tally, Fujimori, the daughter of former hardline President Alberto Fujimori, secured 50.48% of the vote. Her challenger, leftist congressman Roberto Sanchez, trailed by fewer than 200,000 votes with 49.52%. With thousands of ballots still being processed, electoral authorities stated the race remained far too close to call as the count entered its second day.

The ongoing nail-biter is tracking along predictable geographic divides. Votes from the metropolitan capital of Lima, a traditional bastion of conservative support for Fujimori, were processed first, giving her the early advantage. However, political analysts predicted the gap could narrow drastically in the final stretch, as Sanchez commands fierce loyalty across Peru’s vast rural provinces and interior highlands where ballots take longer to arrive at counting centers.

The extreme gridlock mirrors early data from pollster Ipsos on Sunday night, which initially placed Sanchez ahead by a mere fraction of 50.3% to 49.7%, highlighting a statistical tie that has kept the country on a knife-edge.

The agonizingly slow count has triggered widespread anxiety across the South American nation, sparking memories of the chaotic 2021 presidential election. During that cycle, Fujimori lost by a microscopic margin to Pedro Castillo in a 50.1% to 49.9% finish, and the final proclamation of the winner was delayed for weeks due to a barrage of legal challenges and vote nullification appeals.

Electoral observers warn that the current deadlock could pave the way for similar political instability and prolonged legal battles as both camps brace for the final fraction of a percent to decide the presidency.