Peru’s presidential runoff sees leftist Sanchez in the lead

Leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez took the lead in Peru’s presidential runoff on Monday, surpassing conservative Keiko Fujimori for the first time since vote counting began.

With 94 percent of voting centers reporting and nearly 18 million votes cast, the race was still too close to call, News.Az reports, citing France24.

Fewer than 4,300 votes separate Sanchez from Fujimori, who has already tried and failed to reach the presidency three times.

She is the daughter of the late president Alberto Fujimori, who had been jailed for human rights violations. 

Many voters had hoped the election would draw a line under years of political chaos that has seen a string of presidents jailed, deposed and impeached.

Whoever is elected will be the ninth president in a decade. 

But Peru remains deeply divided between the populous coast and the more rural, Indigenous south. 

Sanchez said Monday he was "optimistic" about the outcome but that it would be necessary to wait for 100 percent of the votes to be counted. 

Fujimori signalled it may be days before the result was known. 

"As of now there is no winner. There will be long days ahead," she said late Sunday. 

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli