Peru: with 100% of the ballots counted, Keiko Fujimori has 50.13% of the votes
The official count of votes for the second round of Peru's presidential election reached 100%, with candidate Keiko Fujimori leading by a small margin over her rival, Roberto Sánchez, according to results released this Monday (29) by ONPE (National Office of Electoral Processes).
Fujimori obtained 50.13% of the valid votes, while Sánchez, candidate of Juntos pela Peru, won 49.86%. In total, Fujimori received 9,223,396 votes, while Sánchez received 9,173,755, representing a difference of 49,641 votes in favor of the Popular Force candidate, according to ONPE's final count.
Fujimori stated that the closure of the count marks the end of a crucial stage in the electoral process and expressed expectation for the official proclamation of the National Electoral Board (JNE).
"The National Office of Electoral Processes has completed the counting of 100% of the ballot boxes. All observations made by the Special Electoral Juries (JEE) have been resolved", stated the candidate in a message published on her account on the social network X, in which she also asked that the process progress "with great humility, prudence and responsibility".
"We are approaching the beginning of a path of order and hope for all Peruvians", he added.
Later, in statements to the press, Fujimori said he accepted the result "with great responsibility" and recognized that the country "is practically divided, and we have a great responsibility to listen to both sides."
The candidate stated that her team will keep the "doors of dialogue" open with Sánchez and the other political leaders who participated in the election, and asked that attention be focused on the "future and development of Peruvians".
Candidate Roberto Sánchez's press office told CNN that, at that moment, it had no statement to make about the results released by ONPE and Fujimori's victory.
Before the vote count had even concluded, the left-wing leader had already presented his complaints to the electoral authorities and warned that he would not recognize the result, arguing that the electoral court could be granting a "fraudulent advantage" to his rival if his concerns were not met.
Her campaign claims that a resolution issued by the National Office of Electoral Processes after the first round of elections modified the procedure for counting votes cast abroad, which, according to her, reduced legal security standards for the June 7 election. The party, however, has not presented any evidence to support these claims.
The election results revealed a deeply polarized Peru, marked by political and socioeconomic divisions. During the campaign, Fujimori focused his speech on security and order, insisting that his platform represented the best option to guide the country's recovery in a context marked by political and institutional crises, corruption scandals and increased crime and insecurity.
The counting of votes ends more than twenty days after the second round of elections, held on June 7th. This marks the beginning of the electoral procedures established by Peruvian law for the official proclamation of results by the JNE (National Electoral Board).
Who is Keiko Fujimori, candidate for president of Peru
Source: CNN