Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Fujimori Leads Peru Vote as Results Delayed and Runoff Opponent Remains Unclear

A fragmented field, coupled with a one-day voting extension, leaves the second-round lineup unsettled.

Peruvian electoral workers distribute voting materials to polling stations, as police and military personnel stand guard, ahead of the April 12 general election, in Lima, Peru, April 11, 2026. REUTERS/Manuel Orbegozo
In accordance with Peruvian law, workers remove a campaign sign a day ahead of the general election, in Lima, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)
A voter casts a ballot during general elections in Lima, Peru, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Peru’s presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori waves as she casts her vote at a polling station during the general election, in Lima, Peru April 12, 2026. Wilfredo Fernandez/Fuerza Popular/Handout via REUTERS

Overview

  • Exit and quick polls late Sunday put Keiko Fujimori in first place at about 16% to 17%, with several contenders bunched close behind for the second spot in the June 7 runoff.
  • An early official tally from the electoral authority showed Fujimori narrowly ahead with roughly 37% of votes counted, with Rafael López Aliaga close behind, highlighting how fluid the race remains.
  • Following Sunday’s ballot delivery failures at many polling places, officials extended voting by one hour nationwide and approved a Monday revote for about 63,300 registered voters in Lima as well as Peruvians in Orlando, Florida, and Paterson, New Jersey.
  • ONPE, the national election office, blamed a private subcontractor for not delivering voting materials, which kept some sites closed for hours and left many voters in long lines without ballots.
  • Security dominated the campaign as homicides roughly doubled and extortion cases surged in recent years, and Peruvians also elected a reestablished Senate that can remove a president with 40 of 60 votes, raising the stakes for whoever governs next.