Keiko Fujimori Clinches Peru’s Presidential Race Following Tight Runoff

Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has been officially declared the winner of Peru’s presidential election, concluding a tense counting process nearly a month after the vote.

According to figures certified by Peru’s electoral court, the 51-year-old secured 50.135% of the vote in the June 7 runoff, narrowly defeating left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez, who received 49.865%. The victory was decided by a razor-thin margin of fewer than 50,000 votes.

This victory marks the fourth attempt at the presidency for Fujimori, the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori. Her campaign centered on a promise to aggressively combat organized crime.

Fujimori’s victory, occurring alongside the election of Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia, underscores a broader rightward shift in Latin American politics. Following the announcement, Fujimori stated she would assume the presidency “with responsibility, humility and a deep sense of duty,” adding that the transition period serves as a vital opportunity to engage in dialogue—a comment seen as an acknowledgment of her narrow victory.

Conversely, 57-year-old Roberto Sánchez has contested the results, alleging the runoff was “seriously compromised.” He has threatened legal action, citing strong support for Fujimori among overseas voters as a sign of potential irregularities. Following Friday’s certification, his party formally appealed the proclamation and called for the nullification of the vote.

While Sánchez, a former foreign trade minister, campaigned on a platform of comprehensive economic reform, Fujimori capitalized on public anxiety regarding political instability and rising crime. Throughout her campaign, she invoked her father’s controversial legacy, pledging a military-led crackdown on organized crime and rising extortion rates.

Her father, Alberto Fujimori, was eventually imprisoned for crimes against humanity, including forced sterilizations and extra-judicial killings carried out during his authoritarian tenure. In addition to her security pledges, Keiko Fujimori promised to stimulate economic growth through private investment and vowed the immediate deportation of undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes.

Having unsuccessfully run in 2011, 2016, and 2021—often losing by narrow margins—Fujimori will become Peru’s ninth president in just ten years. Her inauguration is scheduled for July 28.

Her ascension places her among a growing group of right-wing leaders across Latin America who have recently displaced left-wing administrations. Colombia’s president-elect, de la Espriella, who also won a narrow victory based on anti-crime promises, is set to take office shortly after. Both leaders, along with El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, have sought alignment with US President Donald Trump during his second term.

As this right-wing trend intensifies, Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva remains the region’s primary left-wing figurehead as he prepares to face the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro in upcoming elections.

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