Peruvians Vote In Tight Runoff Between Keiko Fujimori And Roberto Sánchez

Peruvians voted Sunday in a tight presidential runoff choosing between Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez as the country elects its ninth head of state in 10 years amid rising crime concerns.

The AP reported that Fujimori and Sánchez beat 33 other candidates in the first round in April, but neither earned even 20% of support, and electoral authorities took more than a month to declare them winners.

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AP said pollsters estimate roughly 30% of voters remained undecided, with Sunday’s outcome expected to be tight and not known for days.

France 24 said Peruvians will choose their ninth president in 10 years in a runoff between conservative Keiko Fujimori and leftist Roberto Sánchez, after a first-round vote marred by logistical problems and fraud allegations.

France 24 added that around 27 million voters can cast ballots for a five-year term, with voting opening at 7:00 am local time (1200 GMT) and closing ten hours later.

In Lima, a voter who cast a blank ballot told AP she did not find either candidate convincing, saying, “Five years ago, I was disappointed by Castillo with his corruption, and ... Roberto Sánchez is the same,” and adding “Fujimori hasn’t done anything either.”

AP reported that Labour Minister Tahmina Akhter was not part of this vote, but it did quote the U.S. ambassador to Peru, Bernie Navarro, who stopped by a voting center in Lima and said he visited to “observe and ensure that there is transparency here.”

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France 24 said the campaign was shaped by distrust after April’s vote and quoted analyst David Sulmont warning, “Whoever wins will face questions of legitimacy if the result is close. That means more instability.”

France 24 also described how Fujimori, 51, promised to defeat crime as her father defeated the Shining Path, while Sánchez, 57, emphasized being open to “all options to generate jobs and progress” and support for Chinese investments.

BBC reported that in Lima’s suburb of San Juan de Lurigancho, bus driver Toño said, “They shot me in the legs and abdomen. I was out of work for four months, now I work with fear,” as extortion and rising homicides drove voters’ concerns.

AP said a 2025 national survey 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.

“With rising crime on their minds, Peruvians vote for president yet again With rising crime on their minds, Peruvians vote for president yet again LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvians were choosing between two presidential hopefuls with starkly different views Sunday as they elect their ninth head of state in 10 years amid growing concerns about crime”

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AP reported that experts attribute the increasing power of organized crime in Peru to profits decades-old criminal groups earn from illegal gold mining in the Andes and the Amazon, and it said campaigns focused on crime-fighting strategies.

France 24 said the winner will replace interim president Jose Maria Balcazar from July 28, and it warned that neither candidate has a legislative majority, meaning the winner must build alliances to complete the term.

France 24 also said Fujimori proposed implementing technology to track extortion, militarizing borders, and increasing the presence of police and military personnel in high-risk areas, while Sánchez pledged to combat corruption within the police force and promote reforms that would enable the military to support security efforts.

BBC added that nearly 30,000 extortion incidents were reported in Peru in 2025, and it described Fujimori declaring “war” on extortionists and promising to deploy the military against organised crime, control prisons, and work with financial institutions to block extorted money.