Peru Presidential Election Too Close To Call

 

CNN: Peru presidential election too close to call, but Keiko Fujimori leads in preliminary tally 

Bogota, Colombia (CNN)The first official results from Peru's presidential elections gave a small lead to right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori, but the election was too close to call as of early Monday. 

Peruvian electoral authority ONPE said so far it had counted 42% of the vote. Of those, Fujimori was the preferred candidate for 52.9% of voters, while left-wing candidate Pedro Castillo was the preferred option for 47.1%. Turnout was 77%. 

"These results are the first official data from the polling stations that sit closest to the counting centers, that means urban votes. 

An important share of votes from rural areas and abroad is still waiting to be counted," said Pedro Corvetto, head of ONPE. Corvetto urged fellow Peruvians to wait for official results to come in from the provinces.

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Pedro Castillo's base of support is from the rural regions of Peru. Those votes (from what I am reading) are going to take some time before they are counted. Bottom line. Even with 42% of the vote counted, Keiko Fujimori's 6% lead could evaporate very quickly.  

Update: As expected. With 91% of the vote counted, the vote total is now Fujimori with around 50.2% and Castillo on 49.8% .... Peru Election on Knife Edge as Castillo Narrows Fujimori's Lead (Reuters). My one contact in Peru is predicting a win for Pedro Castillo by 1% to 2%. 

More News On Peru's Presidential Election  

Peru's Fujimori takes early lead in tight presidential runoff -- France 24  

Daughter of imprisoned ex-president leads Peru's election -- L.A. Times  

Peru's Castillo says there is 'hope' as razor-thin margin keeps country on edge -- Reuters 

The Daughter Of A Jailed Ex-President Could Become Peru's Next Leader -- NPR/AP