Keiko Fujimori Secures First Place, Faces Roberto Sanchez in Peru June 7 Runoff

Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes confirmed Friday that Keiko Fujimori of the Popular Force party secured first place in the April 12 general election and will face Roberto Sanchez in a June 7 presidential runoff after a delayed count marked by irregularities and fraud allegations.

The electoral body said 100 percent of ballots had been tabulated more than 30 days after the initial vote and its one-day extension, with Fujimori receiving 17 percent of the total vote, or 2,877,678 ballots.

ABC

Sanchez, of the Together for Peru party, edged past Rafael Lopez Aliaga of the Popular Renewal Party for the second runoff spot, with Sanchez at 12.031 percent, or 2,015,114 ballots, and Aliaga at 11.904 percent, or 1,993,904 votes.

The Daily Gazette said the official results were announced Friday, confirming a run-off between Fujimori and Sanchez after slow counting of all ballots, and it placed Fujimori at 17% and Sanchez at 12% with Lopez Aliaga at 11.9%.

UPI reported the final tally after 33 days of scrutiny and legal challenges, confirming Fujimori first with 17.18% and Sanchez second with 12.03%, ahead of Lopez Aliaga at 11.90%.

Fraud allegations and procedural irregularities shaped the first-round aftermath, with Aliaga initially accusing electoral fraud and calling for annulment before later accepting the outcome and pledging to combat a "criminal organization" through congressional action.

Sanchez’s path to the runoff also runs through legal scrutiny, as Peru’s Attorney General's Office faced him over allegations of campaign fund embezzlement dating back to 2018, with prosecutors requesting a prison sentence of up to five years.

Al Jazeera

Sanchez told reporters, "The case has been shelved — the fraud charges have been dismissed," framing the investigation into alleged misuse of party funds as already dismissed after six years of proceedings.

In a separate account of the same runoff matchup, Reuters reported that "Today marks the starting point for a second round," with Sanchez calling for "an immense need for a broad democratic coalition" as he campaigned.

The Daily Gazette described the political backdrop as highly unstable, noting ongoing tensions between parliament and the government and that the current president, José María Balcázar, is already the country’s eighth head of state in the past decade.

With the runoff set for June 7, the campaign focus in the sources centered on crime and corruption, and WRAL (AP) said the election was mired with logistical issues that left thousands unable to cast ballots on Sunday, prompting authorities to allow more than 52,000 residents of Lima to vote on Monday.

WRAL (AP) reported that Sanchez called for a “grand democratic coalition” to defeat a criminal underworld he said has aligned with the “political mafia” of Congress, while Fujimori promised to crush crime so Peruvians can “live in peace.”

The same Reuters account said Sanchez told reporters he might announce his cabinet on Wednesday, and it quoted Fujimori saying, "What this country needs is order and security," as she pledged to put an end to the scourge of crime.

Reuters also reported that European Union observers have said they found no concrete evidence of fraud, while it noted that the prolonged count since April 12 prompted the resignation of the country’s top electoral official, who is now under investigation by the public prosecutor.

Looking ahead to the constitutional term, WRAL (AP) said the winner of the runoff will be sworn in on July 28 for a five-year term, and UPI said Peru’s National Jury of Elections is expected to formally certify the runoff candidates on Sunday ahead of the second-round vote that will determine who governs the country for the 2026–2031 constitutional term.