The candidate from Juntos por el Perú raised the tone of his criticisms of the electoral process, insisted on nullifying the votes from abroad, and warned that he will not recognize a potential government led by the leader of Fuerza Popular
The post-electoral crisis in Peru deepened this Monday after Roberto Sánchez denounced the existence of a supposed "fraud in progress" and announced that he will not recognize a potential government of Keiko Fujimori if the electoral authorities validate the current results of the presidential runoff.
During a press conference in Lima, the candidate from Juntos por el Perú stated that there are irregularities in the processing of votes cast by Peruvians living abroad. According to Sánchez, changes introduced during the electoral process may have affected the guarantees of transparency in the transmission and custody of the records coming from the consulates.
Peruvians celebrating Fujimori's victory
The stance of the leftist leader represents a new escalation in a dispute that has already lasted several weeks. Since Keiko Fujimori managed to reverse Sánchez's initial lead thanks to the counting of votes from abroad, the candidate has pushed for various legal actions to try to annul those votes.
However, the resources presented so far have been rejected by the electoral authorities due to procedural issues and lack of sufficient evidence.
Currently, with more than 99.7% of the votes counted, Fujimori maintains a lead of nearly 40,000 votes and records approximately 50.11% of the valid votes compared to 49.89% obtained by Sánchez. The votes cast abroad have been decisive in consolidating that difference, as around 65% of those voters supported the candidate from Fuerza Popular.
In addition to rejecting the results, Sánchez announced new mobilizations and called on his supporters to remain organized while legal claims continue. He also requested the suspension of the proclamation process until all pending resources related to the voting abroad are resolved.
The communist Roberto Sánchez
The allegations have been questioned by electoral bodies and international observers. Both the Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union indicated that the election took place normally and reported no evidence of systematic fraud. Likewise, the Peruvian electoral authorities have defended the legality of the procedures used during the counting.
As Keiko Fujimori's lead remains stable and the official proclamation seems increasingly close, Sánchez's statements anticipate that the political dispute will continue even after the final result is known, prolonging a climate of polarization and uncertainty in the country.
