Presidential election in Peru: Keiko Fujimori slightly widens her lead in a still tense election

Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori strengthened her narrow lead in the Peruvian presidential election on Monday, as the counting of thousands of disputed ballots continued. Despite this advantage, the outcome of the election remains uncertain amid strong political polarization.

According to the latest results released by the electoral authorities, Fujimori received 50,051% of the vote, compared to 49,949% for his left-wing opponent, Roberto Sanchez. The difference between the two candidates represents just over 18,300 votes, an extremely narrow margin on a national scale.

The right-wing candidate had regained the lead in the middle of last week thanks to the gradual integration of votes from Peruvians living abroad. Since then, her lead has strengthened slightly, although it remains narrow enough to maintain suspense around the final result.

The electoral process is slowed by the examination of numerous disputed votes. Authorities are continuing to verify and process these ballots, the outcome of which could still influence the final election result.

This presidential election is one of the closest in Peru's recent history. It pits two radically different political visions of the country against each other: on one side, Keiko Fujimori, a figure of the Peruvian right and daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori; on the other, Roberto Sanchez, a candidate supported by left-wing forces.

Political tensions remain high as both sides closely monitor the final vote count. Challenges and appeals filed after the election have prolonged the uncertainty and delayed the official declaration of the winner.

As the final ballots are counted, Peru holds its breath. Even though Keiko Fujimori now has a slight lead, the final result will depend on the processing of the remaining votes and the final validation of the results by the electoral authorities.