Fujimori awaits Peru presidency proclamation amid Sánchez's fraud claims

Peru is on the brink of electing Keiko Fujimori as its next president, with preliminary results showing her with a slim 50.11% lead over leftist rival Roberto Sánchez. With 99.8% of votes counted, Fujimori holds a narrow advantage of 42,097 votes, a margin considered irreversible as only a small fraction of ballots remain to be tallied.

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The candidate who ran in the name of the imprisoned former president Pedro Castillo (2021-2022) denounced that the transfer of the ballots to Lima was allegedly done without guarantees to prevent manipulation.

However, the election's outcome is being contested by Sánchez, who alleges "fraud in development" and has vowed not to recognize Fujimori's government. His campaign is seeking to annul votes cast abroad, claiming irregularities in how they were processed. Sánchez argues that the decision by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have consulates physically send ballots to Lima instead of transmitting them digitally compromised the integrity of the count.

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This serious irregularity leads to fraud in development, because the voting carried out by the consular offices continues to be counted, but today we believe that the National Elections Jury must stop this action, as the inviolability of electoral regulations has been transgressed.

Sánchez's party, Juntos por el Perú, contends that the physical transfer of ballots lacked sufficient guarantees against manipulation. He has called for the National Elections Jury to halt the ongoing count, asserting that the electoral norms have been violated. "Under these conditions of transgression of the norms, we will not recognize the government of Mrs. Fujimori," Sánchez stated, urging supporters to mobilize to "defend democracy."

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Under these conditions of transgression of the norms, we will not recognize the government of Mrs. Fujimori.

Fujimori's running mate, Luis Galarreta, has accused Sánchez of being "anti-democratic" and called for swift finalization of the vote count. The close election and the ensuing dispute highlight deep political divisions within Peru, with the outcome potentially leading to further instability.

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The leftist has shown that he is anti-democratic.