Fujimori edges ahead of Sánchez in Peru as expat ballots flip a razor-thin count

MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Thursday, June 11th 2026 - 09:04 UTC

Fujimori reappeared at the door of her home to ask Sánchez to keep his commitment to respect the final result

Conservative Keiko Fujimori reclaimed first place on Wednesday night in Peru's presidential runoff, in a count being decided vote by vote that took a decisive turn with the arrival of ballots from Peruvians abroad. With 98.2% of the tally sheets processed by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), Fujimori reached 50.002% against 49.999% for leftist Roberto Sánchez, a difference of fewer than a thousand votes. If the trend holds, the Fuerza Popular leader could become the country's first woman elected president at the polls.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Sánchez held a lead of about 30,000 votes, but the margin stalled and ultimately reversed. The decisive factor lay beyond the country's borders: the overseas vote, historically inclined toward the right, reshaped the board. In the United States, which accounts for about 30% of Peruvian emigrants, Fujimori took 76.5%; in Spain, 60.1%; and in Argentina, 61.3% so far.