Peru Has Finally Counted All Votes But Runoff Remains Undecided

(Bloomberg) -- Nine days after a presidential runoff in Peru, the electoral authorities have completed the vote count with leftist Pedro Castillo edging out Keiko Fujimori by 44,058 ballots.

But the winner of the June 6 election won’t be declared until after the Electoral Court rules on thousands of disputed ballots that were deemed irregular by Fujimori’s party. That decision could take several days.

With 100% of votes counted, Castillo has 50.1% against 49.9% for Fujimori, the electoral council said on its website Tuesday afternoon.

The razor-thin margin and stark polarization between the candidates during the campaign and since the vote has led to increased political tension on the streets of Peru. Fujimori, who lost the previous two presidential runoffs, has vowed to wait for every last ballot before recognizing the result.

Castillo for his part denounced attempts to discredit the electoral process during brief comments on Tuesday and has repeatedly called on his supporters to remain calm until the vote count finished.

A number of Fujimori supporters, from lawmakers to former military officials, have even called for a new election or for the incoming congress to resolve the dispute, adding to outrage from Castillo’s voters.

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