AMERICAS
2 min read
Peru's defeated candidate Roberto Sanchez challenges Fujimori's win at regional body
Roberto Sanchez says he will appeal Keiko Fujimori's presidential election victory to Inter-American Commission on Human Rights over alleged irregularities in overseas voting.
Peru's defeated candidate Roberto Sanchez challenges Fujimori's win at regional body
Peru's defeated presidential candidate appeals election result. (Photo: FILE) / Reuters

The defeated leftist candidate in Peru's presidential election, Roberto Sanchez, has said he will appeal the win of his right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Sanchez alleges fraud in votes cast by Peruvians living abroad and filed an appeal two days after the election, according to a statement from his party, Together for Peru.

Peru's electoral authority said this week that Fujimori was elected with 50.13 percent of the vote in the June 7 runoff, compared to Sanchez's 49.86 percent.

A previous request from Sanchez to annul the overseas votes was rejected by the National Jury of Elections, which deemed his claims unfounded.

RelatedTRT World - Fujimori declared winner of Peru presidential runoff, vows 'order and hope'

Overseas ballots

The leftist candidate cast doubt on overseas votes because there was a "change of rules in the middle of the electoral process, preventing the digitalisation in the runoff of the tally sheets for votes cast abroad" at Peru's consulates, the statement said.

The National Jury of Elections is expected to officially proclaim 51-year-old Fujimori as president-elect this week, before she takes office July 28 to replace Jose Maria Balcazar.

Her victory marks the return of the Fujimori name to Peru's presidency, more than two decades after her father, the late Alberto Fujimori, fled to Japan and resigned amid allegations of human rights violations and corruption.

Fujimori's win is part of a wave of right-wing leaders who have recently won office in Latin America, some with the endorsement of US President Donald Trump.

SOURCE:TRT World & Agencies