Peru’s electoral authorities confirmed the official first-round results of the April presidential election, formally locking in a June 7 runoff between Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez after the board determined that no candidate cleared the 50% threshold needed to avoid a second round. The June 7 date follows the board’s confirmation of the first-round count, which had been released earlier but required official validation before the runoff could be set.
Fujimori, the 50-year-old congresswoman running for Fuerza Popular, won 2.8 million votes, or 17.19% of the total, advancing to a presidential runoff for the fourth time. Sánchez, who ran for Juntos por el Perú and previously served as foreign trade minister under former President Pedro Castillo, finished second with 2.015 million votes, or 12.03%.
Because more than 70% of voters supported candidates other than Fujimori or Sánchez in the first round, both finalists will need to build coalitions to win in the runoff. The result also reflects a crowded first-round field, where the two candidates beat 33 other contenders whose campaigns focused on ending surging crime, which many voters identified as a top priority.
The announcement arrives amid an extended political crisis in Peru, a period marked by rapid turnover in leadership and disputes between the Parliament and the executive branch. The country has also seen street protests that left 50 demonstrators dead between 2022 and 2023, underscoring instability that has continued even as Peru’s mining-driven economy has proved resilient.
Beyond the runoff matchup, the board’s confirmation means campaign attention can now shift fully to the second round and the coalition arithmetic that will shape it. For Fujimori and Sánchez, the path to victory will depend on how first-round supporters of eliminated candidates align in June, particularly on security and crime-fighting promises that featured prominently in their bids.