06/05/2026
’s June 7 Presidential Runoff: Observers Available for Interviews
Washington, DC ― A delegation from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) is in Peru to observe this Sunday’s presidential elections. The runoff is between far-right-wing candidate and former First Lady Keiko Fujimiori of the Fuerza Popular party and left-wing candidate and former cabinet minister Roberto Sánchez of the Juntos por el Perú party.
“The logistical problems that marked the first round, together with unfounded allegations of fraud and subsequent legal challenges, delayed the official confirmation of the second-place finisher by more than a month, creating an uneven playing field between the two runoff candidates,” said CEPR Senior International Policy Associate Francesca Emanuele, head of CEPR’s election observation mission in Peru. “It’s all the more important that electoral observers watch this process closely from start to finish and help ensure that the will of the Peruvian people is respected. It is also critical that Peru avoid a repeat of the events that followed the 2021 election, when presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori’s unfounded allegations of fraud led to an unprecedented delay in the certification of the results and the official recognition of Pedro Castillo’s victory.”
Just three weeks before the election, Peru’s public prosecutor’s office reactivated an investigation against Sánchez for alleged financial crimes, making the announcement only hours after electoral authorities had confirmed that Sánchez would proceed to the runoff. The prosecutor’s office is also seeking to permanently disqualify Sánchez from running for public office. Sánchez denies the charges. People affiliated with Sánchez’s campaign told CEPR that they had had difficulty in finding a venue in Lima willing to host Sánchez’s closing campaign event.
There are also concerns that Fujimori may allege fraud if she loses, as she did in the 2021 elections when she called for some 200,000 votes to be invalidated after her opponent, Pedro Castillo, emerged from the runoff with a thin lead. Castillo’s victory was later confirmed and he was inaugurated as president the following month.
Fujimori is the daughter of former dictator Alberto Fujimori, who was imprisoned for crimes against humanity, including massacres, enforced disappearances, and abductions, according to Human Rights Watch. Keiko Fujimori served from 1994 to 2000 as a prominent public representative of her father’s authoritarian administration. She has unsuccessfully run for president three times before.
“The days following Sunday’s vote will matter as much as the vote itself,” Emanuele said. “Peru’s democratic institutions will be under scrutiny, and the international community will be watching closely.”
CEPR has published an overview of the election, including the candidates’ background and positions on various issues, as well as risks to the democratic process. CEPR will post some developments in the election in real time on its “US Escalation in the Caribbean and Latin America” live tracker.
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