Peru's presidential race too close to call, awaiting remote and overseas votes

Peru's presidential election is in a nail-biting finish, with a near-perfect tie between leftist Roberto Sánchez and rightist Keiko Fujimori. As of Sunday, with 96.23% of votes tallied, Sánchez held a razor-thin lead of 50.10% to Fujimori's 49.89%. The remaining votes, numbering around 1,945, are expected to decide the next president.

These crucial ballots come from overseas, remote areas within Peru, and over a thousand contested vote tallies. The process has been slowed by a change requiring international votes to be flown back to Peru for counting, with a significant portion yet to arrive. Within the country, most regions are nearing 100% scrutiny, but disputed ballots and delays in areas like Cusco, Loreto, and Ucayali are holding up the final count.

The Amazonian regions of Loreto and Ucayali face delays due to their remote locations, accessible only by river or air. Meanwhile, the province of La Convención in Cusco has pending ballots from districts within the Valley of the Rivers Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro, an area known for coca cultivation and the presence of the last remnants of the Shining Path subversive group.

Votes from abroad have only been 31% counted so far. Fujimori has a strong lead among these ballots, securing 65% of the valid votes compared to Sánchez's 34.9%. Her support is particularly strong in the United States, home to the largest Peruvian diaspora, where she leads with 77.8% with half the votes still uncounted. European votes are more evenly split, with Spain expected to be a key battleground. Interestingly, Finland reported an exact tie, with each candidate receiving 41 votes.