Lima, Peru — Keiko Fujimori is getting closer to becoming Peru’s first female president as she prepares to run for president for the fourth time since 2011.
With just 300 ballots left to consider, she is already ahead of leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez by more than 40,000 votes. The Fuerza People’s Party candidate is confident the results are irreversible and that he will be elected president within a few days while a special election committee finalizes its review of the contested ballots.
According to the latest report from the National Election Office (ONPE), candidate Fujimori received 50.111%, or 9,188,410 votes, with a counting rate of 99.688%. Sánchez received 49.889% with 9,147,710 votes.
The difference between the two is 47,000 votes, a figure that is almost impossible to reverse if the trend continues.
At a Father’s Day event held in the Villa El Salvador neighborhood on June 21, Fujimori expressed confidence in the result.
“Today we can say: there are only a few days left. Yes, we did it. Great challenges lie ahead in the next five years, but I am confident that with God’s blessing and, above all, with the hard work and unity of all Peruvians, we will succeed,” she said.
She also said she was concerned about the long delay in releasing official results. “Every day of delay in seeing results is a day lost in the transition.”
“The transition process will not only have political challenges, but there may also be appropriate announcements and actions, including the appointment of a team, especially as the problems facing Peruvians continue to worsen,” she added.
“I feel a healthy sense of envy when I see how quickly Colombia’s results come out,” Fujimori said after Colombia’s election held Sunday night. Quick-count votes gave Colombia’s Abelardo de la Espriella a narrow victory, but his opponent Iván Cepeda said he would wait for official results before conceding.
The mood at Fuerza’s mass campaign headquarters is cautious and optimistic. Fujimori did not declare victory but said he had “high hopes” and was grateful for the Peruvian support.
In the last three elections, Fujimori, the daughter of former dictator Alberto Fujimori, advanced to the second round of voting but fell just short of victory. She lost to Olanta Humala in 2011, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in 2016 and Pedro Castillo in 2021.
Sanchez challenges the count
Meanwhile, Sánchez refuses to admit defeat. Last Saturday, he announced that he would file a new request to invalidate the votes of Peruvians abroad.
“The signs are clear,” the left-wing candidate said. “We have received tally reports from the United States and Argentina that we think are irregular.”
The statement comes after the National Election Commission (JNE) abolished more than 2,300 polling stations.
Peru awaits official declaration
Although a formal declaration still depends on resolution of pending issues, Fujimorizmo’s — as her father’s political movement is called in Spanish — a return to power is imminent.
The National Election Commission, which has already elected senators and representatives, must resolve remaining tasks before officially declaring a new president.
Featured image: Keiko Fujimori speaks at a political event in Lima, Peru.
Image source: ANDINA/Vidal Tarqui.
