Fujimori hopes foreign votes will decide Peru election against Sánchez

Peruvian right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori stated on Tuesday that she has "a lot of hope" in the votes cast abroad and in challenged ballots, anticipating a potential victory in the election's second round against leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez. Fujimori, the daughter and political heir of former president Alberto Fujimori, spoke to reporters outside her home, urging prudence as the vote count concludes.

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there is a lot of hope in the foreign vote and the challenged ballots because the majority are from the capital

Her party, Fuerza Popular, believes that these votes, predominantly from the capital where Fujimori performed strongly, will be decisive. Fujimori noted that the margin between her and Sánchez is "very tight," leading to what she described as a technical tie. She called for "more measured" statements from Sánchez, who had claimed victory based on early projections.

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the margin between both candidates is very tight

Fujimori deemed it "premature to declare a winner" at this stage. She addressed isolated incidents, such as marked ballots found in Lima and events in the Puno region on election day, stating they did not disrupt the overall electoral process. She also indicated that dialogue channels remain open with Sánchez and other parties represented in Congress.

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it would be very premature to declare a winner

According to the latest report from the National Electoral Processes Office (ONPE), with approximately 1.1 million votes yet to be counted, Sánchez holds a slim lead of 50.056% to Fujimori's 49.944%. This narrow difference means the final tally will be crucial in determining Peru's next leader. Around 1.12 million votes are still pending, including 2,202 uncounted ballots and 1,547 observed ballots sent for deliberation.

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these are isolated incidents that in no way have disturbed the electoral process