Leftist Castillo edges ahead in Peru vote count as rival alleges fraud

LIMA: Far-left trade unionist Pedro Castillo took a narrow lead on Monday in Peru's presidential run-off election against right-wing populist Keiko Fujimori, who alleged fraud in the vote count.

With 94.8 percent of ballots counted after Sunday's vote, Castillo was ahead of Fujimori with 50.2 percent compared with her 49.7 percent, though there could be a prolonged wait for the final outcome.

Fujimori raised allegations of "irregularities" and "signs of fraud" at a press conference on Monday evening, claiming she had evidence of "a clear intention to boycott the popular will" in the election.

Fujimori, 46, had led in early counting, but school teacher Castillo, 51, gained ground as votes from Peru's rural areas -- his stronghold -- came in from across a country battered by years of political turmoil.

Castillo's Free Peru party called on election authorities to "protect the vote" as ballots are counted and published, which may take days with more than a million expat votes being processed.

"Only the people are going to save the people," Castillo said, as he asked his followers to show restraint.

Election observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) said the candidates' "conduct in these crucial hours is decisive to maintain calm."

Amid the uncertainty, the Lima stock market plunged 7.22 percent and the sol dropped to a record low 3.94 against the US dollar.

Whoever wins the ideological battle between left and right will take leadership of a nation battered by recession and the world's worst coronavirus fatality rate with more than 186,000 deaths among its 33 million population.

Peruvians will also be looking for stability after going through four presidents in three years. Seven of their last 10 leaders have either been convicted or are under investigation for corruption.