Keiko Fujimori declared winner of Peru presidential runoff after weeks of ballot review

Peru's electoral authorities have finalised the count from the 7 June presidential runoff, putting Keiko Fujimori narrowly ahead of Roberto Sanchez. The result follows weeks of reviewing contested ballots and leaves only the formal proclamation by the National Electoral Jury still pending. Fujimori, the conservative candidate, is now set to become Peru's next president after a race decided by fewer than 50,000 votes.

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The final tally showed Fujimori ahead by a margin of less than 50,000 votes out of more than 18 million ballots cast. The National Electoral Jury is scheduled to officially announce the winner on 3 July. After being proclaimed the winner, Fujimori wrote that Peru was moving closer to "order and hope for all Peruvians." Sanchez had not responded publicly to the announcement of the result.

The outcome comes after a tense contest in which the lead changed during counting, with Sanchez at one point moving ahead before Fujimori overtook him. Sanchez had previously said he would not recognise a government led by his rival, citing alleged administrative irregularities in the handling of votes from abroad. Fujimori is due to take office on 28 July for a five-year term, extending a political career that has now reached the presidency on her fourth attempt.

The result matters because the election was shaped by two of Peru's most persistent problems: rising crime and political instability. The country has gone through eight presidents in a decade, and the campaign focused heavily on extortion gangs and contract killings. Fujimori has promised a strong hand in response, echoing the hardline image associated with her father, Alberto Fujimori, who ruled Peru in the 1990s.

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Her family name remains central to the political significance of the result. Alberto Fujimori won support for defeating Maoist rebels and stabilising hyperinflation, but later became disgraced, exiled and jailed over corruption and crimes against humanity linked to the fight against terrorism. Keiko Fujimori has long benefited from the recognition and networks attached to the Fujimori name, while also facing deep opposition from voters who associate it with her father's rule.

The election was her fourth attempt at the presidency, and the campaign also reflected efforts to soften her public image. She became first lady at 19 after her mother publicly broke with Alberto Fujimori, and later trained in the United States as a business administrator. What remains unclear is how Sanchez and his supporters will respond once the official proclamation is made, and whether any further challenge will follow.

The key date to watch is 3 July, when the National Electoral Jury is due to confirm the winner formally.

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