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Presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori greets citizens on the street after casting her vote in Lima, Peru, on the 7th (local time). / Courtesy of AP and Yonhap News Agency

Following a weeks-long vote-counting process after Peru's presidential runoff, Keiko Fujimori, the candidate from the right-wing Popular Force party, has been elected as the nation's 67th president.

According to Reuters on the 29th (local time), the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) announced that the final tabulation showed Fujimori winning 50.135% of the vote (9,223,396 votes), narrowly defeating her rival Roberto Sánchez of the left-wing Together for Peru party, who garnered 49.865% (9,173,755 votes).

The gap between the two candidates was a razor-thin 0.27 percentage points, representing a mere 49,641 votes. Although the runoff was held on the 7th, the official conclusion was delayed for weeks as electoral authorities reviewed various challenges and recounted ballots.

Welcoming the completion of the count via social media, Fujimori stated, "With humility, prudence, and a sense of responsibility, I will await the official proclamation from the National Jury of Elections (JNE)," adding, "We are drawing closer to a path of order and hope for all Peruvians."

Having previously run for the presidency in 2011, 2016, and 2021 only to taste defeat each time, Fujimori clinched the top office on her fourth attempt. With this victory, she is set to become the second female president in Peru's history and the first to be directly elected by the public.

While she enjoys strong support from conservatives for her pledges to promote private investment, slash bureaucracy, root out corruption, and tighten public safety, she also faces the critical challenge of overcoming public resentment toward her late father, former President Alberto Fujimori.

The elder Fujimori, who ruled from 1990 to 2000, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 on corruption and human rights abuse charges, including murder and torture. Following a cycle of imprisonment and pardons, he passed away in September 2024 at the age of 86.

                                                                                                           Kim Hyun-min