Votes Being Counted in Peru Runoff Vote06/08 06:07

   

   LIMA, Peru (AP) -- The winner of Peru's presidential runoff election was not 
yet known hours after polls closed Sunday as electoral authorities slowly 
tallied votes cast for the ninth head of state in 10 years.

   Figures released by electoral authorities showed conservative politician 
Keiko Fujimori with a modest lead over nationalist congressman Roberto Snchez 
with 58% of ballots tallied in a contest overshadowed by people's concerns 
about surging crime. The outcome, expected to be tight, may not be known for 
days.

   The figures showed Fujimori received 5.96 million votes, or 52.6%, while 
Snchez earned 5.36 million votes, or 47.4%.

   Unlike the first-round vote, no major incidents delayed the opening or 
closure of voting centers. In the capital, however, voter turnout throughout 
Sunday appeared lower than in the previous contest, with practically no lines 
in many voting centers, despite voting being mandatory.

   Fujimori, daughter of a disgraced former president, and Snchez, an ally of 
an imprisoned ex-president, were on the runoff's ballot after beating 33 other 
candidates in the vote in April, but neither earned even 20% of support. 
Electoral authorities took more than a month to declare them winners of that 
contest.

   Crime was the top concern for voters

   Crime, particularly extortion, remained the overarching concern for voters. 
A 2025 national survey carried out by the state's National Institute of 
Statistics and Informatics found that 84% of respondents in urban areas feared 
becoming victims of a crime in the following 12 months.

   Experts attribute the increasing power of organized crime in Peru to the 
profits that decades-old criminal groups are earning from illegal gold mining 
in the Andes and the Amazon.

   But the candidates' crime-fighting proposals were not enough to make inroads 
with voters, many of whom associate each aspiring president with controversial 
Peruvian politicians.

   Official results from April's election showed Fujimori received 17% of the 
vote and Snchez got 12%. More than six weeks later, a nationwide poll 
conducted by Ipsos found that similar shares of voters were supporting the 
candidates, with about 3 in 10 saying they were undecided.

   Fujimori is linked to the authoritarian and corrupt legacy of the government 
of her late father, Alberto Fujimori, in the 1990s. She became Peru's first 
lady in 1994 after her parents' separation.

   Snchez is one of the closest allies of jailed former President Pedro 
Castillo, whom many perceive as corrupt and chaotic. Castillo's 16-month term 
saw more than 70 Cabinet changes.

   Food vendor Magali Quiquia said she cast a blank ballot because she did not 
find either candidate convincing,

   "Five years ago, I was disappointed by Castillo with his corruption, and ... 
Roberto Snchez is the same," Quiquia, 44, said. She added that she believes 
"Fujimori hasn't done anything either" despite her party having multiple seats 
in Congress.

   Voting is mandatory for Peruvians aged 18 to 70. Failure to do so results in 
a fine of up to $32.

   More than 27 million people are registered. Of those, about 1.2 million were 
expected to cast ballots from abroad, mainly in the United States and Argentina.

   Proposals include prison labor and a police purge

   For most of her fourth presidential campaign, Fujimori promised to crack 
down on crime. Her proposals included implementing technology to track 
extortion, militarizing borders and increasing the presence of police and 
military personnel in high-risk areas. Fujimori, 51, also said that prisoners 
will be required to work and "repay society" should she win.

   In the only debate before the runoff, Fujimori defended her father's 
government and promised to defeat crime just as he defeated the Shining Path, a 
violent extremist group.

   Snchez, a former minister now popular with rural voters, pledged to combat 
corruption within the police force and promote reforms that would enable the 
military to support security efforts.

   The 57-year-old, who wears a wide-brimmed peasant hat gifted by Castillo, 
told debate viewers that he would be open to "all options to generate jobs and 
progress" but also emphasized his support for Chinese investments.

   Snchez tried to ease the concerns his candidacy is generating among 
investors, saying he will not nationalize any assets of transnational companies 
that extract minerals or gas from Peru.

   Lima resident Heidi Ramrez, 41, said she was undecided until she was in 
line at the voting center. After talking with friends who "convinced me," she 
said she chose Snchez.

   The United States ambassador to Peru, Bernie Navarro, stopped by a voting 
center in Lima on Sunday. Upon leaving, he told the television station Latina 
his visit was to "observe and ensure that there is transparency here."

   The runoff's winner will be sworn in to a five-year term on July 28.