LIMA: Polls closed in Peru’s presidential election Sunday, with exit polls showing four-time candidate Keiko Fujimori with the slenderest of leads over her leftist rival.
Pollsters at Ipsos and other firms said Fujimori led Roberto Sanchez by about a percentage point — with 50.7% versus 49.3% — a technical tie.
Crime and political instability dominated the race to choose the country’s ninth leader in a decade.
Many voters are just hoping the election can end years of political chaos that has seen a string of presidents jailed, deposed and impeached.
“We have to choose between the ‘lesser evil’,” said disgruntled 23‑year‑old voter Renzo Masa.
April’s first round was marred by logistical problems and a vote count that took weeks to complete, deepening distrust in Peru’s creaking institutions.
Fujimori, 51, is hoping to ride a wave of support for right-wing candidates who have won recent elections in Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador with a tough-on-crime message.
She appeals to the legacy of her late father, who stabilised the economy and crushed a Maoist insurgency, but was convicted of corruption and crimes against humanity.
Sanchez, a 57-year-old former psychologist, surged late in the race to reach the runoff, thanks to support in poorer rural areas.
He has moderated his early calls for “radical change” and told AFP he wants a “respectful” relationship with US President Donald Trump.
