With 100% of the ballots tallied, the results released by the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) place Keiko Fujimori Higushi in first place (with 50.135%) as the presumptive president of the Republic of Peru. Roberto Sánchez (with 49.865%) will seek to collaborate with various grassroots social organizations to form a “broad democratic defense front.” The ONPE confirmed Fujimori Higushi’s victory in the runoff election after 23 days of vote counting, resulting in a close race with a margin of just over 49,000 votes between the two candidates.
Fujimori’s victory was primarily due to the overseas vote, while Sánchez won the majority of votes in more than 17 of the country’s departments. Sánchez stated that there was suspicion of possible fraud due to alleged irregularities in the process. Despite the seriousness of these issues, there is no talk of future investigations into the matter.
First Steps in a Polarized Country
The National Elections Board (JNE) announced days earlier that the official proclamation of Peru’s new president would take place between July 3 and 7, but Fujimori’s victory is already being reported by all national media outlets.
In the early days, Keiko Fujimori’s conservative right-wing government will have to address the main demands of a polarized country (more than half of the national vote went to Roberto Sánchez), which is calling for the repeal of the constitutional reforms enacted in recent years.
Among these demands are: restoring the independence of the branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial); repealing pro-crime laws (which have plunged hundreds of Peruvian households into mourning); and increasing investment in education and health care—all within a framework of respect for human rights, sustainable development, and, above all, the fight against corruption.
The public has been organizing on various fronts to exercise a genuine democracy that goes beyond the ballot box and acts as a watchdog for good governance. In this regard, Roberto Sánchez announced plans to “organize a broad front of democratic resistance to put an end to the mafia pact and pro-crime laws, restore the separation of powers and democratic institutions, decentralize the justice system, and establish a truth commission to hold those responsible for the murders that have occurred among our peoples in the south accountable.”
As of press time, the governments of Bolivia, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Colombia—all of which lean to the right—congratulated Keiko Fujimori on her victory and expressed their willingness to strengthen international relations.
