Keiko Fujimori, daughter of jailed autocrat, leading tight Peru presidential race

Conservative Keiko Fujimori was clinging to a razor-thin lead in Peru’s presidential election race early on Monday but socialist rival Castillo Pedro was narrowing the gap, setting up a likely photo finish.

Uncertainty pervades a deeply polarised Peru over who will be its next president, with the official count showing Fujimori with 50.5 per cent and Castillo on around 49.5 per cent, with around 90 per cent of the vote counted and the gap narrowing with late votes expected to be more rural, favouring the leftist candidate.

An unofficial fast count late on Sunday by Ipsos Peru declared a “statistical draw” with Castillo having a fractional lead after an exit poll had said rival Fujimori would eke out a win, leaving the copper-rich Andean country, investors and mining firms guessing.

The likely photo finish could lead to days of uncertainty and tension, with the vote underscoring a sharp divide between capital city Lima and the nation’s rural hinterland that has propelled Castillo’s unexpected rise.

Peru’s new leader will need to tackle a country in crisis, suffering from recession and with the worst coronavirus fatality rate in the world after recording over 184,000 deaths among its 33 million population.

Peruvians will also look to the winner to end years of political turbulence after four presidents in the last three years, and with seven of the last 10 of the country’s leaders either having been convicted of or investigated for corruption.