Keiko Fujimori proclaimed president-elect of Peru after razor-thin runoff, ending decades-long pursuit

The proclamation

In a ceremony at the Jurado Nacional de Elecciones headquarters in Lima’s Jesús María district, JNE president Roberto Burneo declared the Fuerza Popular ticket the winner of the 2026 general election. Fujimori herself was not present; her party’s legal representatives attended while she followed the event from party offices in San Isidro. Within minutes, social‑media accounts for her presidency appeared, all bearing the tag “Presidenta Electa del Perú”.

Every vote counts equally.

Burneo added that the proclamation reflected the sovereign will of millions of Peruvians. Alongside Fujimori, Luis Galarreta was proclaimed first vice‑president and Miguel Torres second vice‑president for the 2026–2031 term.

A narrow margin and a long wait

The runoff, held on either 7 June or 21 June depending on source reports, produced one of the tightest finishes in recent Peruvian history. Fujimori secured 50.135 % of the vote against 49.865 % for left‑wing candidate Roberto Sánchez of Juntos por el Perú – a difference of just 49 641 ballots, or 0.27 percentage points. Official results had been published on 29 June, but the validation process dragged on for weeks.

The victory ends a marathon for Fujimori, who lost runoffs in 2011, 2016 and 2021 and now becomes the ninth head of state in a single decade. Her campaign stressed a return to law‑and‑order policies and economic reactivation, echoing the legacy of her father, who governed from 1990 to 2000.

I receive with deep gratitude the trust that millions of Peruvians have placed in me. A new stage begins.

Opposition challenges

Roberto Sánchez has refused to accept the result, alleging irregularities with ballots cast by Peruvians abroad. On 2 July, he petitioned the Inter‑American Court of Human Rights for precautionary measures. Hours before the proclamation, the JNE rejected his final appeal to annul overseas votes, and the judiciary declared inadmissible a habeas corpus filed by his ally Antauro Humala, who had argued that Fujimori’s Nikkei origins barred her from the presidency.

Regional reactions

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva congratulated Fujimori on 4 July, stating he looked forward to “an ambitious bilateral agenda” covering trade, investment, infrastructure integration, Amazon protection, the fight against hunger and poverty, and combating transnational organised crime. Spain’s government issued a statement highlighting the work of EU and OAS election observation missions, of which Spain was a part, and reaffirmed its wish to deepen the strategic relationship with Peru.

What happens next

Burneo announced that the credentials ceremony for the president‑elect and her vice‑presidents will take place at noon on 15 July. Fujimori has described the transition period as “an opportunity to listen, to dialogue and to arrive prepared at the start of the new government.”