Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has been declared the winner of Peru's presidential election, almost a month after voters went to the polls. The result caps one of the tightest contests in the country's recent history.
According to figures certified by Peru's electoral court, the 51-year-old secured 50.135% of the vote in the 7 June runoff, narrowly beating left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez, who took 49.865%. The gap between the two amounted to fewer than 50,000 votes.
A Fourth Bid for the Presidency
The victory marks the fourth time the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori has sought the nation's highest office. She previously ran unsuccessfully in 2011, 2016 and 2021, each time losing by similarly slim margins during a stretch of intense political turmoil.
When she is sworn in, expected on 28 July, Fujimori will become Peru's ninth president in a decade — an indication of the instability that has gripped the Andean country.
Responding to the result, Fujimori said she would assume the role of president "with responsibility, humility and a deep sense of duty." She added that "each day of this transition process is an opportunity to listen, engage in dialogue and arrive prepared at the start of the new government," comments that appeared to acknowledge her thin mandate.
Crime and Contested Results
Concerns over crime and political instability dominated the campaign, working in Fujimori's favour. She pledged a military crackdown on organised crime, focusing on extortion incidents that have risen sharply in recent years. She also promised to attract private investment to boost economic growth and to immediately expel any undocumented immigrants found committing crimes in Peru.
Throughout the race, she leaned on the controversial legacy of her father. Alberto Fujimori was eventually jailed for crimes against humanity linked to extra-judicial killings and forced sterilisations carried out during his increasingly authoritarian rule.