The Japan Times - Presidential runoff looms as Peru's Fujimori claims victory over leftist 'enemy'

First counts and exit polls showed the 50-year-old daughter of disgraced former president Alberto Fujimori ahead in the 35-candidate race, but she was well short of the 50 percent needed to win outright.

Her nearest rival was far-right Rafael "Porky" Lopez Aliaga -- who has vowed to "hunt" Venezuelan migrants and likens himself to a cartoon pig -- although he was in a tight race for a runoff spot with millions of votes still to count.

Peruvians had hoped Sunday's election would end the political chaos that has brought eight presidents in a decade and a surge in violent crime.

But election day saw yet more tumult, with missing election materials preventing 100 polling centers from opening on time.

Amid hours-long delays, police and prosecutors raided the headquarters of the National Office of Electoral Processes in an effort to find out who was to blame.

In all, some 63,000 voters were unable to cast their ballots, prompting the authorities to declare that 13 polling places would open in Lima on Monday to allow them another chance.

By early Monday morning, official results showed Fujimori with 17 percent of the vote, and Lopez Aliaga with 16 percent.

Speaking to supporters, Fujimori stopped short of claiming outright victory but said the results were "a very positive sign for our country."

"The enemy is the left" she said, adding that "according to these quick-count results, they would not reach the second round."

Lopez Aliaga had earlier claimed "grave electoral fraud" and called on supporters to take 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.

"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."

- Crime and punishment -

Violent crime and corruption 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 over the same period.

On the eve of the election, frontrunner Fujimori told AFP that 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 the police force.

"We will expel undocumented citizens" she added.

This is Fujimori's fourth bid for the presidency. Her father died in 2024 after serving 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity, directing death squads, bribery and embezzlement.

During the campaign, she has leaned on newfound nostalgia for his strongman rule.

"I believe that time and history are giving my father the place he deserves," she told AFP.

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.

K.Inoue--JT