LIMA, Peru — Peru’s top election authority on Friday declared conservative politician Keiko Fujimori the winner of the country’s presidential runoff election, confirming her victory after voters chose a candidate who pledged to address rising crime.
Election officials certified the results after completing the official count, which showed Fujimori received 9,223,000 votes, or 50.135% of the total, while nationalist congressman Roberto Sánchez garnered more than 9,173,000 votes, or 49.865%.
Fujimori, 51, will become Peru’s ninth president in 10 years when she takes office later this month. She won the presidency on her fourth attempt after advancing to the June 7 runoff with Sánchez by defeating 33 other candidates in the April first-round election.
Crime emerged as the dominant issue during the campaign, particularly extortion linked to organized criminal groups. Fujimori campaigned on a platform of tougher law enforcement measures.
In a social media post on Friday, Fujimori said the transition period would allow her administration to prepare for governing.
“Each day of this process of transition is an opportunity to listen, discuss and arrive prepared for the start of a new government,” she said.
Fujimori is the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, whose administration defeated the Shining Path insurgency in the 1990s but later faced allegations of authoritarian rule. Alberto Fujimori was convicted in 2009 of human rights violations related to the conflict against the rebels and was later convicted on corruption charges.
During the campaign, Keiko Fujimori pledged to build four prisons and another facility modeled after El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), require inmates to work while incarcerated, militarize Peru’s borders and deport undocumented migrants.
Fujimori’s victory follows the recent election of conservative leaders in Colombia and Chile, reflecting broader political changes in parts of the region.
