Peru's Fujimori wins presidential runoff after 22-day count

Peru confirmed the election of right-wing Fuerza Popular candidate Keiko Fujimori as president 22 days after the country held its presidential runoff.

The National Elections Board announced Sunday (local time) on its website that it had officially completed the count, with Fujimori winning 50.135 percent of the vote against Roberto Sanchez of the "Juntos por el Peru" party, who received 49.865 percent.

The margin between the two candidates was razor-thin — roughly 0.27 percentage points, or about 49,000 votes. Immediately after the count was completed, Fujimori posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she would "await the announcement of the National Elections Tribunal (JNE) with humility, prudence and responsibility," adding that Peru was "getting ever closer to a path of order and hope for all Peruvians."

Fujimori is the daughter of the late former president Alberto Fujimori, who served from 1990 to 2000 and was later convicted of human rights abuses and corruption charges, serving 16 years in prison.

Riding her father's name recognition, Keiko Fujimori entered politics and ran for president in 2011, 2016 and 2021, losing each time by a narrow margin. Her victory on the fourth attempt makes her the first woman elected president in Peruvian history.

Fujimori campaigned on market-friendly economic policies, including tough security measures, promotion of private investment and a reduction in bureaucracy. On public safety, she has pointed to El Salvador as a model — a country that elected a hard-right president before Peru and helped accelerate a conservative "blue tide" across Latin America. Her campaign pledges included building large-scale prisons to house criminals and immediately deporting undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes.

Fujimori and Sanchez had been locked in a tight race since the first round of voting. The runoff remained neck and neck until ballots cast by Peruvians living abroad began to be counted, at which point Fujimori started to pull ahead. Systemic shortcomings, combined with both candidates alternately signaling they would not accept the result, dragged out the count over 22 days after voting concluded June 7. Sanchez has still refused to concede and has announced plans to pursue legal action. International observer missions, including the Organization of American States, said the election was conducted normally.

Some analysts warn that the razor-thin result could deepen Peru's political instability. The country has seen nine presidents in the decade since 2016, reflecting chronic political turmoil.

Bloomberg noted that Fujimori's Fuerza Popular at least secured 22 of the 60 Senate seats in April's general election, which could help her avoid the early impeachment that has plagued her predecessors.