Peru: Fujimori Poised To Win By A Razon Thin Majority

Fujimori Poised to Win by Razor-Thin Margin as Rival Contests Results PERU Peru Keiko Fujimori appeared poised to win Peru’s presidential runoff by an extremely narrow margin, although her leftist rival Roberto Sánchez is contesting the result and claiming victory. With more than 98 percent of votes counted from the June 7 election, the right-wing contender overtook Sánchez with a little more than 50 percent of the vote, a lead of only a few hundred ballots out of nearly 20 million cast. Sánchez has not conceded defeat, and some of his allies have alleged fraud without providing evidence. Sánchez said he would defend his “popular victory.” The outcome remains unresolved as electoral authorities are reviewing requests from both campaigns to invalidate thousands of votes over alleged irregularities. As many as 400,000 ballots have been flagged for issues ranging from illegible handwriting and missing signatures to stains. Most of the disputed votes come from Lima, neighboring Callao and overseas voting districts, where Fujimori has received more than 60 percent support. Election officials expect to announce the final results by mid-July. International observers have dismissed allegations of electoral irregularities. The prospect of a Fujimori victory has generated both celebration and concern among Peruvians because of memories of her father, Alberto Fujimori, who governed from 1990 to 2000. His administration was credited with combating a Maoist insurgency and tackling hyperinflation, but it ultimately collapsed amid corruption and human-rights scandals. Allies say Keiko Fujimori shares her father’s law-and-order approach and support for free-market policies but rejects his authoritarian tendencies. She has pledged to respect Peru’s one-term presidential limit. Critics, however, blame her for contributing to years of political instability while serving as an opposition leader. Peru has had nine presidents in the past decade, and Fujimori would become the country’s 10th if the result is confirmed. Even so, analysts cautioned that she would inherit a country facing years of political turmoil and could encounter strong resistance from the opposition.