Right‑wing candidate Keiko Fujimori led exit polls after Peru’s troubled presidential election on Sunday, as police raids and claims of fraud cast a shadow over a race now heading to a runoff.
Fujimori, 50, the daughter of disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori, led with about 16 percent of the vote, according to pollsters Ipsos and Datum.
She looked set to fall well short of the 50 percent needed to win outright and will almost certainly face a second round runoff against one of several rivals locked in a statistical tie for second place.
About 27 million Peruvians voted for 35 presidential candidates, hoping to end a decade of political turmoil that has produced eight presidents since 2016.
But election day saw more chaos in Lima, where missing election materials meant about 100 polling centers were unable to open on time and 63,000 people were prevented from voting at all.
Police and prosecutors raided the headquarters of the National Office of Electoral Processes in an effort to find out who was to blame.
At 15 polling centers, voters waited for hours under the equatorial sun, only to be turned away when ballots never arrived.
Polling was extended by one hour Sunday and some polling places will open on Monday to allow everyone to vote.
“We have had a logistical problem, and we have done everything humanly possible to reduce it,” said Piero Corvetto, head of the election commission.
“There is no possibility of fraud,” he said. “There is full assurance that the results will faithfully reflect the popular will.”
That claim was rejected by several candidates.
Far‑right contender Rafael Lopez Aliaga, known as “Porky,” called it a “grave electoral fraud” and called on supporters to turn out on to the streets in protest.
Outside the election authority, a small group gathered as police guarded the building and investigators took statements.
“We cannot stay silent,” said Karina Herrera, a 25‑year‑old administration student. “They have not made it easier for people to vote.”
Officials said police also raided a private subcontractor blamed for failing to deliver ballots, boxes and other materials on time.
The missing votes represent a small fraction of the total but could still matter in a close race.
In 2021, just 238,000 votes separated second and third place in the presidential poll.
This year’s race may be even tighter.
Exit polls by Ipsos and Datum showed Roberto Sanchez, Ricardo Belmont, Rafael Lopez Aliaga and Jorge Nieto separated by only a few points in the race for second place.
Crime and corruption had dominated the campaign.
Peru’s homicide rate has more than doubled in a decade, while reported extortion cases jumped from 3,200 to 26,500 a year.
On the eve of the vote, frontrunner Keiko Fujimori told AFP she would “restore order” in her first 100 days by sending the army into prisons, deporting undocumented migrants and strengthening borders.
In an exclusive interview Fujimori said she would seek a united front with conservative leaders in the United States, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia.
“We will ask for special powers,” she said, including to modernize police and deploy the armed forces in prisons. “We will expel undocumented citizens.”
This is Fujimori’s fourth bid for the presidency. Her father, former president Alberto Fujimori, died in 2024 after serving 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity, bribery and embezzlement.
During the campaign, she has leaned on renewed nostalgia for his strongman rule.
“I believe that time and history are giving my father the place he deserves,” she said.
Incumbent president Jose Maria Balcazar, in office for less than two months, was barred from running.
More than 90 percent of Peruvians say they have little or no confidence in their government and parliament, according to Latinobarometro.
Despite the turmoil, Peru remains one of the region’s most stable economies in the region.
arb/msp
