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Keiko Fujimori is approaching the presidency of Peru with a lead of 33,432 votes over her rival Roberto Sánchez Palomino, according to data released by the EFE agency with 99% of the votes counted in the presidential runoff held on June 7.
The records from the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) place the candidate from Fuerza Popular at 50.097% of valid votes compared to Sánchez's 49.903%, which translates to approximately 9,136,432 votes against 9,100,083.
The difference between both candidates fluctuated during the counting: in earlier reports at 99.082% and 99.148% of processed ballots, the gap exceeded 36,000 votes in favor of Fujimori, according to real-time data from ONPE.
The final result is not yet finalized: the observed and contested minutes are still pending review by the Special Electoral Jurisdiction (JEE), which could change the final margin before the official proclamation.
If his victory is confirmed, Fujimori would achieve the presidency in his fourth consecutive attempt, after losing the runoffs in 2011, 2016, and 2021.
In 2021, she was defeated by Pedro Castillo by fewer than 44,000 votes in an election that she challenged unsuccessfully before the National Jury of Elections (JNE).
This candidacy is also the first that Keiko faces without her father as a direct political reference, following the death of former president Alberto Fujimori in September 2024, who was serving a sentence for crimes against humanity and corruption before being released for humanitarian reasons.
His rival in the runoff election, Roberto Sánchez Palomino, has presided over Juntos por el Perú since October 2017 and has been pointed out by conservative sectors as being close to the legacy of former leftist president Pedro Castillo, who was ousted and imprisoned in December 2022 after attempting to dissolve Congress.
Fujimori reached the second round after obtaining 17.18% of the votes in the first round on April 13, in a contest with 35 presidential candidates, none of whom exceeded 18% of the votes.
Sánchez came in second with 12.026%, just 20,879 votes ahead of Rafael López Aliaga (Renovación Popular), who alleged fraud without providing concrete evidence and ended up out of the runoff.
The JNE officially proclaimed Fujimori and Sánchez as candidates for the second round on May 18, 2026, according to CNN en Español.
The final resolution of the challenged records will determine whether Fujimori manages to surpass the threshold that has eluded her on three previous occasions, thus becoming the first woman president of Peru.
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