Reading Time: 4 minutes
Peru’s presidential runoff appeared headed for a razor-thin result that may take days or even weeks to define. With over 92% of the vote counted on Monday morning, the nation’s electoral authority, ONPE, showed conservative politician Keiko Fujimori leading with 8.731 million votes, or 50.1%, while leftist Roberto Sánchez had earned 8.674 million votes, or 49.8%.
A preliminary count by pollster Ipsos on Sunday night showed a statistical tie, with Sánchez very slightly ahead of Fujimori. Ipsos’ preliminary tallies have correctly identified the winner of every runoff since 2001, though its director said that with the margin so tight, a full count would be necessary to determine the winner.
After reporting a small number of irregularities, the government election monitors announced that, after polls closed, they had found no evidence of fraud. ONPE said its full count would be completed by mid-July.
AQ asked analysts to share their reactions. This page will be updated with additional comments.
