Peru’s recent history of presidential elections advises caution when the margin is measured in tenths of a percentage point. If anyone knows this better than anyone else, it is Keiko Fujimori, who lost by a hair to Ollanta Humala in 2011, to Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in 2016 and to Pedro Castillo in 2021. That is why, although an exit poll currently gives a slight edge to the leftist Roberto Sánchez —50.3% to 49.7%— the presidential runoff remains open in a race to choose the country’s ninth leader in 10 years.
Electoral authorities have already warned that, because of challenges and how close the race is, the official proclamation of the winner could take close to a month, until mid-July. At 5.00 pm local time on Sunday, the Ipsos exit poll was showing a different picture from the latest figures: at that point Keiko Fujimori, of the conservative Fuerza Popular (People’s Force), was leading with 50.7% of the vote to 49.3% for Sánchez, of the leftist Juntos por el Perú (Together for Peru).
The Juntos por el Perú candidate appeared on a balcony in Plaza San Martín, in Lima’s historic center, surrounded by hundreds of supporters celebrating what they view as an imminent victory. Although he later tried to sound cautious, the tone of his speech was markedly emotional.
“On this blessed night we are going to end the mafioso pact that has taken hold of our government,” he proclaimed to the crowd. Sánchez thanked the support of “the Quechua, Aymara and Amazonian peoples, of farmers, teachers, shopkeepers, transportation workers and young people who have decided to reclaim the government for the people.”
The presidential hopeful, who is viewed as an ally to former president Pedro del Castillo, convicted for his self‑coup in 2022, framed the result as the start of a period of national reconciliation. “This is the moment for broad consensus, for patriots, for democrats, for those of us who are convinced that the only enemies of the nation are corruption, poverty and neglect,” he said.
“As befits those of us who believe in democracy, this is the moment to defend the vote and ensure electoral transparency,” he added. Finally, he urged his agents and social movements to respect the results and safeguard every tally sheet.
Meanwhile Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the authoritarian leader Alberto Fujimori, spoke from a hotel near her home in the San Borja district of Lima. With a serious expression on her face, she sought to cool her opponents’ enthusiasm and reminded people that thousands of votes still remain to be counted. “At this time there is no winner in this contest. For that reason, the coming days will be long until we know. Every single tally sheet needs to be counted,” she said.
Fujimori also asked the international community to remain alert to the electoral process until the definitive announcement of the results. “I call on the international community to stay until the last day, monitoring the results of the process. We will wait with much faith and we will respect the final results, whatever they may be.”
Peru’s 2026 elections were unlike any before: 36 presidential candidates —Napoleón Becerra died weeks before the vote, yet nearly eleven thousand people still cast ballots for him in the first round — crowded a ballot paper larger than a family‑size pizza box. The election will also be remembered for something else: had blank and null votes formed a political bloc, they would have led the race with more than three million supporters.
Since the mid-20th century, Peruvian politics has been a story of disillusionment, marked by illusory prosperity and reforms that never come to fruition. It has alternated between authoritarian regimes that foster nationalism and promise a firm hand in vulnerable times, and democracies that inspire more hope in their returns than in their actual performance.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition
