KEIKO FUJIMORI WINS PERU PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF ELECTION

Keiko Fujimori was declared the winner of Peru's presidential runoff election on Friday, according to the country's election authority. Official figures showed Fujimori received 9,223,000 votes, representing 50.135% of the total, whilst nationalist congressman Roberto Sánchez secured over 9,173,000 votes, or 49.865%. Fujimori will become Peru's ninth president in ten years when she takes office later this month. The election authority certified the result.

Crime emerged as the dominant issue during the campaign, with voters expressing concern about rising crime levels and extortion by violent organised crime gangs. Fujimori pledged to address crime with what she described as an iron fist approach. Fujimori and Sánchez advanced to the 7 June runoff after defeating 33 other candidates in an April election. This marks Fujimori's fourth presidential campaign.

Fujimori is the daughter of Alberto Fujimori, a former president whose administration defeated the Shining Path rebel group during the 1990s but adopted authoritarian methods. Alberto Fujimori was convicted in 2009 of human rights abuses related to operations against the rebels, and subsequently faced corruption convictions. Keiko Fujimori has previously run for the presidency without success.