Keiko Fujimori confirmed as Peru's president-elect after tight runoff

Peru's National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) has officially confirmed Keiko Fujimori's victory in the presidential runoff election. After the final count, Fujimori defeated leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez by a margin of 49,641 votes. This marks one of the closest elections in the country's recent history.

According to the final results, Fujimori secured 50.135% of the valid votes (9,223,396 votes), while Sánchez obtained 49.865% (9,173,755 votes). This is the third consecutive presidential election in Peru decided by fewer than 50,000 votes. The ONPE stated that the result came from processing 100% of the 92,766 tally sheets, including those reviewed by special electoral juries due to the narrow margin.

The National Jury of Elections (JNE) is expected to officially proclaim the results on July 3. Credentials will be delivered on July 15, and Fujimori will assume the presidency on July 28 during the inauguration ceremony, which coincides with Peru's Independence Day.

However, Roberto Sánchez has announced that he will not recognize the result. The candidate from Juntos por el Perú alleged irregularities in the processing of overseas votes and accused the JNE of "changing the rules during the electoral process." He also requested a review of polling stations challenged by his political group.

Keiko Fujimori, 50, has thus reached the presidency on her fourth attempt, after being defeated in the runoffs of 2011, 2016, and 2021. The daughter of former dictator Alberto Fujimori and Susana Higuchi, she previously served as first lady from 1994 to 2000 after her mother's removal from office.