Presidential vote drags on, leaving Peruvians on edge
LIMA, Peru — Economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski clung to a thin lead over the daughter of a jailed former president early Wednesday as the count from Peru’s presidential election dragged on, straining nerves in a nation divided after a polarizing campaign.
About 1,200 handwritten tallies representing up to 360,000 votes were being disputed and were sent to a special electoral board for review, Mariano Cucho, the head of Peru’s electoral authority, told RPP Radio on Tuesday
Both candidates have remained largely silent while awaiting final results of Peru’s tightest presidential race since 1962, a contest that ended in a military coup.
Playing on memories of Alberto Fujimori’s well-known ties to corruption, organized crime and death squads, for which he’s serving a 25-year prison sentence, he seized on a string of scandals that hobbled Fujimori in the final stretch.
Fujimori, who served as first lady in her father’s administration after her parents’ divorce, has tried to contain her rival’s rise by taking distance from her father’s crimes, even signing a pledge not to pardon him if elected.