Keiko Fujimori leads Peru’s presidential race as polls close | Election News

The daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori says the country is close to “order and hope” after the long-awaited vote count.

A right-wing representative Keiko Fujimori is ahead in Peru’s presidential race as the country’s electoral authorities complete their vote count after a runoff that the left-leaning rival has refused to accept.

Fujimori said on Monday that he would continue to wait for an official announcement from Peru’s National Jury of Elections (JNE) after the electoral body ONPE completed its review of the contested votes.

“We are getting closer and closer to a path of order and hope for all Peruvians,” Fujimori said in a social media post.

Fujimori, the daughter of the former president Alberto Fujimori – who has been jailed for human rights abuses – has pledged to “unite the country” after the latter showed him punching a left-wing colleague. Roberto Sanchez by 50.13 percent to 49.86 percent, with 100 percent of the votes counted.

JNE plans to announce the winner on July 3, following the failure number of votes which has been for several weeks.

But the results of the June 7 election may not solve Peru’s political crisis, which has seen nine presidents take office in just 10 years before being voted out or removed from office.

Sanchez has refused to accept the results of the election, which he has said was a sham and a fraud. He gave no evidence for the allegations, but has called for protests to “protect the vote” and said he will file a legal challenge against the announcement.

Such claims are widespread in Peru, whose political system has been deeply troubled by a decline in trust in elections and government institutions in recent years.

Many voters expressed disappointment after the first vote in April, when operational problems delayed voting in some parts of the capital Lima.

Election officials have warned there is no evidence of widespread fraud but have acknowledged voter frustration.

Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez, who is from Peru’s capital Lima, reported that Fujimori had reacted, saying that he was very happy that the votes were over and that he would wait “with humility and wisdom” until the official announcement of his victory.

“Keiko Fujimori knows that she won with only 49,000 votes. She is not very popular in the country. She has lost three votes,” said Sanchez.

Members of Fujimori’s party now hope that his opponent, Roberto Sanchez, will recognize the results, he added.