Peru's Sánchez Rejects Runoff Results Unless Overseas Votes Are Annulled

Roberto Sánchez, Peru's progressive presidential candidate, announced on Tuesday that he will not recognize the results of the June 7 runoff election if the National Elections Jury (JNE) does not annul votes cast by Peruvians living abroad. With 99.72% of votes counted from more than 18 million participants, Sánchez trails conservative rival Keiko Fujimori by approximately 40,000 votes. However, Sánchez's campaign argues that without overseas ballots—which heavily favor Fujimori—he would win the election.

Sánchez's legal team claims that Peruvian consulates failed to follow required procedures when processing ballots from over 307,000 overseas voters. Specifically, they argue that consulates did not use a government-provided app to scan tally sheets as mandated by electoral law, instead sending physical documents directly to Lima for processing. Sánchez characterized this as "fraud in development" and stated that if the JNE does not resolve the matter according to electoral norms and legal certainty, "we will not recognize the government of Miss Fujimori."

Peru's Foreign Affairs Ministry defended the procedural change, explaining that the modification was authorized by electoral officials in late May due to technical and operational difficulties with the scanning application during the first round of voting on April 12. The ministry denied allegations that its consular officials committed interference, manipulation, or political favoritism. Both Peru's National Electoral Process Office (ONPE) and international observer missions from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union stated that the runoff proceeded without incidents or irregularities.

According to ONPE data, overseas voters supported Fujimori with 65% of their ballots, a margin that proved decisive. Fujimori, representing the conservative Fuerza Popular party and campaigning on a tough-on-crime platform, secured 50.11% of counted votes compared to Sánchez's 49.89%. Sánchez, a former commerce minister popular in rural areas and among Indigenous communities, had promised mining sector reforms that would give community groups stakes in copper and gold mines.

Fujimori has not directly responded to Sánchez's demands but previously characterized his recent actions, including a march through Lima, as "desperate political theater." This dispute reflects a broader pattern in Peruvian elections: in 2021, Fujimori herself requested the annulment of 200,000 votes favoring Pedro Castillo, though Castillo was ultimately declared the winner. Peru has experienced significant political instability over the past decade, with eight presidents in ten years, though the country has maintained stable economic policies that have supported it as one of South America's fastest-growing economies.