Elections in Peru: Fujimori and Sánchez have a difference of less than 50 thousand votes

The difference in votes between conservative Keiko Fujimori and left-wing deputy Roberto Sánchez, in Peru's presidential elections, continues to decrease with the latest count, which now points to 92.8% and a difference of less than 50 thousand votes.

Fujimori remains in the lead with 50.114%, while Sánchez has 49.886%, driven by polls coming from rural areas. Right now, the difference is just over 43,600 votes.

Polls leading up to the election showed the two candidates in a statistical tie. The Andean nation hopes to end a decade of deep political instability during which no leader completed a full term.

An initial count published by pollster Ipsos late on Sunday (7) showed Sánchez leading the presidential race with 50.3%, compared to Fujimori's 49.7%, a statistical tie according to Ipsos officials.

Peru's presidential race remains fierce this Monday (8) with the count entering its second day. Votes from the capital Lima, stronghold of Keiko, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, tend to be counted first, while Sánchez could gain ground in this final stretch, as ballots from rural areas are counted.

The two candidates advanced to the second round, following the first round on April 12, with a combined share of just under 30% of the vote, with more than two-thirds of voters supporting other options.

Political crisis
Analysts say the election reflects a deep crisis of political legitimacy. Peru will elect its ninth president in a decade after a series of leaders were removed from office or resigned amid corruption scandals. Four former presidents are currently in prison.

"This is an election without solid leadership, with great distrust in the electoral system", explained political analyst Jeffrey Radzinsky, noting that "the figure of the President of the Republic has lost weight in the collective imagination".

Urpi Torrado, CEO of polling firm Datum Internacional, said much of the voting is being driven by rejection rather than enthusiasm, with many Peruvians choosing between what they consider the least worst.

"There are no defined prospects for any of the candidates", she analyzed.

Fujimori, running for president for the fourth time, campaigned on a hard-line anti-crime platform, evoking her late father's legacy.

Sánchez, political heir to former left-wing president Pedro Castillo, currently in prison, has moderated his economic reform proposals in an attempt to attract centrist voters and reassure investors.

Whoever is elected will inherit a fragmented Congress, rising crime rates and a nation where nearly half of citizens believe the next president will also not complete his five-year term.

*With information from Reuters news agency

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