Peruvian Presidential Candidate Rejects Runoff Result Over Overseas Ballots

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, June 25, 2026

Peruvian presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez declared he would reject the June 7 runoff results if votes from Peruvians abroad are included, alleging irregularities in their processing. This dispute centers on over 300,000 overseas ballots that heavily favor Sánchez’s opponent Keiko Fujimori, potentially affecting the final outcome as election authorities finish tallying votes.

LIMA, June 24 – Peruvian presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez announced Tuesday that he will not accept the results of the June 7 runoff election if ballots cast by Peruvians living abroad are included in the final count, citing alleged irregularities in how these votes were processed.

With nearly all votes tallied—99.72% counted—Sánchez trails conservative rival Keiko Fujimori by approximately 40,000 votes. More than 18 million voters participated in the runoff. Election authorities indicate that Fujimori is poised to win once the remaining tally sheets are fully processed.

Sánchez, a former commerce minister with strong support in rural and Indigenous communities, contends that he would be the victor if overseas votes were excluded. His campaign has formally challenged the validity of ballots cast abroad, arguing that Peruvian consulates did not follow legal procedures requiring use of a government-issued app to scan voting tallies.

In response, the Foreign Affairs Ministry stated that it had received authorization from electoral officials in late May to bypass the scanning app for overseas ballots. Instead, tally sheets were sent directly to the capital, Lima, for processing after voting concluded—a measure implemented due to technical problems with the app during the first round of voting.

Sánchez’s team argues that this procedural adjustment opened the door to potential fraud. However, both the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) and the Foreign Affairs Ministry have rejected these claims, asserting that electoral protocols were not violated.

“Under these conditions of transgression of the rules, we will not recognize the government of Miss (Keiko) Fujimori,” Sánchez declared.

According to ONPE data, more than 307,000 Peruvians living abroad participated in the runoff, with about 65% casting their ballots in favor of Fujimori. The conservative candidate, who emphasized a tough stance on crime throughout her campaign, secured decisive margins among expatriate voters in the United States, Argentina, and Japan—the latter being the country of her paternal grandparents’ origin.

Fujimori has not publicly addressed Sánchez’s challenge to invalidate the overseas votes. Election authorities continue to process remaining ballots as Peru approaches the conclusion of its presidential runoff.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.