Peru Election Tightens: Fujimori Regains Narrow Lead in Recount

Peru's presidential election hangs in the balance as conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori has edged back into a slim lead over her left-wing opponent Roberto Sánchez. With the vote count nearing completion, only about 1.76% of electoral records remain to be tallied, representing approximately 400,000 contested votes slated for review.

The race has been a nail-biter, with the lead fluctuating between Fujimori and Sánchez. Initially, Fujimori held a slight advantage on election night, but Sánchez took the lead the following day. As absentee ballots, particularly from abroad, began to be counted, Fujimori started to recover ground. Currently, Fujimori holds a razor-thin margin of 50.002% to Sánchez's 49.998%, a difference of just 650 votes, according to the National Electoral Processes Office (ONPE).

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Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori recovered the lead for the presidency over her left-wing opponent Roberto Sánchez, with less than 2% of the tables remaining to be counted.

This marks Fujimori's fourth presidential bid. She narrowly lost the previous election in 2021 to Pedro Castillo by a mere 44,200 votes. Castillo, who has since been imprisoned, had supported Sánchez's candidacy. Sánchez, who served as trade minister in Castillo's brief government, advocates for constitutional reform and increased state control over the economy.

Fujimori, daughter of the late former president Alberto Fujimori, campaigned on a platform of order and economic stability, appealing to voters concerned about rising crime and insecurity, which are major issues in Peru. Supporters of Sánchez have protested outside the headquarters of the National Jury of Elections, demanding a "defense of the votes" for their candidate, though police dispersed the gatherings.

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Fujimori obtained 50.002% of the votes, while Sánchez had 49.998%, with a lead of 650 votes, after the scrutiny of 98.215% of the ballots.