Fujimori rejects joint recount while Peruvian court blocks Sánchez’s bid to nullify 2,400 polling stations

A razor-thin margin

Six days after Peru’s June 7 presidential runoff, official results from the ONPE show Keiko Fujimori leading Roberto Sánchez by just 4,308 votes with 98.3% of ballots counted, according to figures released early Saturday. Fujimori holds 9,043,383 votes to Sánchez’s 9,039,075, translating into a 50.01% to 49.99% split. Earlier in the count, when 98.27% of polling station records had been processed, the margin stood at roughly 1,600 votes, underlining the volatility of the final tally.

Sánchez proposes a joint recount, Fujimori camp refuses

On Friday, Sánchez called a press conference and urged his rival:

“I propose that together we request an exhaustive review, a recount of the entire process, especially where there are alleged signs that transparency did not occur as it should.”

The leftist candidate argued that Fujimori’s party was trying to annul votes in Peru’s south while his own camp was detecting irregularities in Lima and among overseas ballots, where Fujimori performed strongly. Fujimori’s running mate, Luis Galarreta, dismissed the suggestion.

“A recount is not just because somebody proposes it. We will respect what the electoral rules say.”

Fujimori herself urged patience, telling reporters:

“We are watching the hearings in the special juries; this requires patience but builds trust among the candidates. We will wait for the final result.”

Court throws out nullification bid on technicality

The Special Electoral Jury (JEE) declared “inadmissible” Sánchez’s attempt to nullify 2,400 polling stations—1,751 inside Peru and 649 abroad—after his party failed to attach the original receipt for the required electoral fee. In a statement, the National Electoral Jury (JNE) noted that this requirement was “unrectifiable,” leaving Sánchez without the immediate legal avenue he had sought. His lawyer, Carlos Zafra, had alleged “serious and systematic indications of electoral fraud,” pointing to alleged exact repetition of vote patterns from the first round. Fuerza Popular’s legal chief, Luis Dyer, countered:

“If you file a nullity petition, you must present evidence.”

What happens next

While the ONPE continues tabulating the remaining ballots, 60 special electoral juries are examining thousands of impugned votes—some marked with offensive phrases against both candidates—in public hearings. ONPE director Bernardo Pachas told reporters that the process could stretch into “the end of June.” The final outcome, unless overturned through the pending legal challenges, would determine whether Peru tilts further to the right under Fujimori or takes a left turn with Sánchez, the political heir of former president Pedro Castillo.