Fujimori Leads Peru Runoff as Opponent Refuses to Concede

After a tense two-week count following the June 7 runoff, conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori holds an insurmountable lead in Peru’s presidential election, though her leftist rival Roberto Sánchez has refused to concede and alleges fraud. With 99.7% of votes processed, the National Office of Electoral Processes reports Fujimori with 50.11% of valid votes to Sánchez’s 49.88%, a margin of approximately 41,000 votes. The official proclamation by electoral authorities is not expected until mid-July.

The razor-thin result, one of the closest in Peru’s modern history, has reopened deep political divisions. On Tuesday, Sánchez declared he would not recognize a Fujimori government, citing irregularities in the processing of overseas votes. He specifically criticized a procedural change that saw physical tally sheets from consulates transported to Lima via diplomatic pouch instead of being digitally scanned on-site, a measure authorities said was due to technical problems encountered in the first round. Sánchez has called for the annulment of those overseas ballots, which broke heavily for Fujimori and provided her decisive margin. His campaign has filed formal appeals, which the...