Lima.- Leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez, who is vying for the presidency of Peru against right-wing Keiko Fujimori, traveled this Sunday to the rural south of the Andean country, where he garners the most support, and demanded that electoral authorities conduct a recount of the runoff votes.
With 98.59% of the vote counted, Sánchez has 49.949% of the vote compared to the 50.051% obtained by Fujimori, and with the pending records already accounted for, the final result of the election will be decided by the 1,300 challenged records that are being processed by special juries.
“Today traveling with my wife on our way to reunite with the high-Andean communities in Canchis, Tinta, Combapata, Pampamarca, Canas in Cusco, the navel of the World. A blessed day with an immense Sun”, announced Sánchez on his social media with some photos with his wife on the plane.
In Cusco, the leftist swept the elections on Sunday, June 7, with 78.13% of the vote (588,619 votes) compared to 21.86% (164,717 votes) obtained by Fujimori, who in the overall count is ahead of Sánchez by 18,478 votes.
The leader of the Juntos por el Perú party insisted in meetings with supporters on the need to guarantee the transparency of the electoral results and reiterated their request for a recount of votes.
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“We reaffirm our demand for transparency, respect for democracy, and the vote of our people,” he said, adding that “no one has any reason to oppose that recount, so that all the people may know, even if it is by one vote, who will achieve electoral victory.”
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During this week, the leftist has stated that they have found signs of alleged irregularities at polling stations in Lima, in northern regions where Fujimori has won, and in the foreign vote, and has proposed to his opponent that they request a recount, something that the right-winger has rejected.
“We want that vote of our people to be respected with transparency. Where there are doubts or irregularities, it must be made transparent and investigated,” maintained Sánchez.
“All suspicions and indications of irregularities must be clarified by the National Jury of Elections, the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), and all democratic forces, so that there is no controversy,” he stated, highlighting that his party will remain “vigilant and mobilized.”
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In this sense, he urged his supporters to defend the vote through peaceful mobilizations and within the democratic framework.
Sánchez had several meetings in communities such as Quispicanchi, Canchis, and Surimana, the land of origin of the Inca noble and guerrilla fighter Tupac Amaru, a symbol of indigenous resistance whom the candidate mentioned in his speeches.
“I had to come here, to our native communities, because here is our strength and our hope,” he/she indicated, expressing that the Quechua, Aymara, and Amazonian people “demand dignity, respect, and say enough of neglect and discrimination.”
