Conservative Keiko Fujimori gained an insurmountable lead in the second round of Peru’s presidential elections on Tuesday night, putting her on track to assume the presidency.
Fujimori, a fourth-time presidential candidate and daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, now has 50.11% of the vote, ahead of left-wing rival Roberto Sánchez, who has 49.88%. The difference between them is 43,386 votes and there are only 40,213 left to be counted, according to data from ONPE, Peru’s electoral authority.
The electoral authority has not yet officially declared a winner and plans to do so in mid-July.
Fujimori’s expected victory deepens the shift to the right in Latin America, following the election of outsider Abelardo De La Espriella in Colombia on Sunday. Voters concerned about crime have turned en masse to hard-line candidates.
On Tuesday, Sánchez claimed that ” “, without providing evidence, and said he would refuse to recognize the election results, raising the possibility of a prolonged political crisis in Peru.
Sánchez had requested the annulment of thousands of votes tallied abroad, which mostly favored Fujimori, but the request was rejected on Tuesday night.
The release of the second round results was delayed due to the review of disputed votes, the late arrival of votes from abroad and the .
Fujimori will inherit a country that has had eight presidents in eight years and that faces deep economic inequalities between the capital and rural regions, in addition to disillusionment with politicians.
Of the eight former presidents, none completed a full term. Three were impeached and one resigned after just six days. Four former presidents are currently in prison, and Fujimori’s late father served 16 years in prison for human rights violations during his ten-year rule in the 1990s.
Fujimori, who had previously distanced herself from her father’s legacy, has embraced it in this election, presenting herself as a strong leader, the one most capable of imposing order and stability at a time when voters are grappling with rising rates of extortion and murder.
