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Right-wing Fujimori secures unbeatable lead in Peru presidential election

Peru's presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori reacts while leaving her home while Peru's electoral board reviews contested ballots from the June 7 runoff election between her and candidate Roberto Sanchez, in Lima, Peru, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stifs Paucca
Peru's presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori reacts while leaving her home while Peru's electoral board reviews contested ballots from the June 7 runoff election between her and candidate Roberto Sanchez, in Lima, Peru, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stifs Paucca Reuters

LIMA - Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori gained an insurmountable lead in Peru's presidential runoff late on Tuesday, setting her on track to assume the presidency.

Fujimori, a four-time presidential hopeful and the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, scraped a razor-thin lead ahead of leftist rival Roberto Sanchez with 50.11% of votes, a slim 43,386-vote lead. Just about 40,213 potential votes remain to be counted.

The electoral authority has yet to declare a winner.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino, Alexander Villegas and Leon Ramirez; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 24, 2026 at 12:51 AM.

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