Pedro Castillo holds lead in Peru presidential election

“Dear people, for me, heroes and heroines of democracy, there is still a lack of votes from some corners of our beloved Peru and from abroad. Therefore, we must be very careful to defend the popular will until the last vote is counted,” Castillo tweeted.

The National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) said that it had so far counted 94% of the vote. Of those, Castillo was the preferred candidate for 50.16% of voters, while right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori was the preferred option for 49.83%.

The president of ONPE Pedro Corvetto said that turnout was 77% in the election.

“These results are the first official data from the polling stations that are 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,” he added.

He also called on Peruvians to wait for official results to come in from the provinces.

Votes that continue to be counted in remote rural areas are expected to favor Castillo, 51, a teacher and union activist, while ballots from expatriate voters are expected to heavily favor Fujimori, 46, the daughter of jailed former 1990s president Alberto Fujimori. (ILKHA)

#ONPEinforma [ACTUALIZACIÓN DE RESULTADOS] Actas contabilizadas para fórmula de presidente y vicepresidentes a las 14:49 horas del 7 de junio. pic.twitter.com/EmZFoP4uq7

— ONPE (@ONPE_oficial) June 7, 2021