Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez will face each other in a June 7 runoff election for Peru's presidency after leading a fragmented field in the April 12 vote, according to the final count released Friday. The election comes as Peruvians grapple with surging crime and widespread disillusionment with political institutions, with thousands of voters unable to cast ballots due to logistical failures that required authorities to extend voting into Monday for more than 52,000 residents of Lima and Peruvians in Orlando, Florida, and Paterson, New Jersey.
Fujimori, the conservative daughter of a disgraced former president, led with 17.18% of the vote, while Sánchez, a nationalist congressman and former minister, finished second with 12.03%. They outpaced 33 other candidates in a race shaped by voter frustration over politicians widely seen as dishonest and unprepared. The runoff will decide Peru's ninth president in 10 years, underscoring the country's chronic political instability despite economic resilience driven by copper exports.
Competing Visions on Crime and Justice
Both candidates campaigned on promises to confront crime, which was the top priority for Peruvians. Sánchez called for a "grand democratic coalition" to defeat a criminal underworld that he said has aligned with the "political mafia" of Congress, including Fujimori's party. He promised to repeal laws he said make it harder to prosecute criminals and to strengthen police intelligence capabilities to combat extortion, which has increased fivefold in five years. Sánchez said his traditional peasant hat serves as "the expression of all hats and of the diversity" of Peru.
Fujimori pledged to bring the same resolve her father's administration showed in defeating the Shining Path rebel group and halting hyperinflation in the early 1990s. Speaking Friday from the coastal La Libertad region, she promised to crush crime so Peruvians can "live in peace." However, she has also defended laws that experts say make it difficult to prosecute criminals. Those laws, backed by her party in recent years, eliminated preliminary detention in certain cases and raised the threshold for seizing criminal assets.
Questions of Accountability and Institutional Strength
Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin American Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Fujimori is "perhaps Peru's only remaining career politician and the only one with a real political party," in the sense that she has a nationwide organization and continuity over time. He said this could allow her to tackle the surge in crime, but he expects her to do so selectively. Freeman also noted that "she and that party have in the past sponsored legislation against organized crime that ironically created many of the tools that prosecutors used to investigate them in the 2010s," referring to the corruption investigations Fujimori faced. "Now, they have since led the charge to destroy a lot of those mechanisms in the legislation."
Sánchez does not have a congressional majority, which could complicate his ability to implement his agenda. He has said he would like to renegotiate contracts with mining companies operating in the country, arguing that the state should collect more taxes. He has also said rural communities should own a share of the mines operating in their territory and that he opposes open-pit operations.
Economic Context and Political Instability
Peru's mining-driven economy has remained resilient despite political instability, including a revolving door of presidents and three presidents since October alone. Aided by its status as the world's second largest copper producer, the country posted more than 3% growth in 2024 and 2025. The winner of the runoff will be sworn in on July 28 for a five-year term.
Why This Matters:
The June 7 runoff will determine whether Peru strengthens or further weakens the institutional safeguards needed to combat organized crime and corruption. With extortion having increased fivefold in five years and voters expressing deep frustration with political elites, the choice between a candidate who has defended laws experts say hamper prosecutions and one calling for stronger enforcement mechanisms carries significant consequences for public safety and the rule of law. Peru's chronic political instability—nine presidents in 10 years—has eroded trust in democratic institutions even as the economy grows. How the next president addresses crime, corruption, and the distribution of mining revenues will shape whether Peru's economic resilience translates into improved security and opportunity for ordinary Peruvians, particularly rural communities seeking a greater share of natural resource wealth.