– Lima, Peru
Peruvian electoral authorities officially declared conservative leader Keiko Fujimori the winner of the second round of the 2026 presidential election on July 3. After weeks of reviewing challenged votes and resolving fraud allegations, the National Electoral Board confirmed her narrow victory over leftist congressman Roberto Sánchez.
Fujimori obtained 50.135% of the vote, equivalent to approximately 9,223,396 ballots, while Sánchez received 49.865%, or around 9,173,755 votes. The final margin was 49,641 votes out of a total of more than 18 million cast in the June 7 runoff, one of the closest races in Peru's recent history.
The daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, 51, and leader of the Popular Force party, won the presidency on her fourth attempt. She had previously reached the second round in 2011, 2016, and 2021, but failed to secure victory in any of those elections. Her campaign focused heavily on combating the rising crime and extortion perpetrated by organized gangs.
Fujimori will take office on July 28 for a five-year term, becoming Peru's first female president. Analysts say her victory is expected to boost investor confidence and help revive stalled mining projects in the world's third-largest copper producer. The result also highlights the country's deep political polarization between urban and rural voters.