Peru's presidential election remained too close to call on Monday, with right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori holding a razor-thin lead over leftist rival Roberto Sanchez as more than 92% of ballots were counted. Fujimori stood at 50.2% against Sanchez's 49.8%, a margin of less than one percentage point.

The tight race underscores deep political polarization in the South American nation, which has seen nine presidents in a decade amid forced resignations and impeachments. The final result may hinge on rural ballots yet to be tallied, where Sanchez has performed strongly.

Fujimori, 51, the daughter of former hardline President Alberto Fujimori, is running for the fourth time, vowing a tough-on-crime approach and a 60-day state of emergency. Sanchez, 57, a former psychologist and trade minister, has moderated his campaign, promising anti-poverty measures, police reform, and a new constitution.

Both candidates are vying to become Peru's ninth leader in ten years. The outcome echoes the 2021 runoff, when Fujimori lost to Pedro Castillo by a similarly narrow margin. Political analyst Paulo Vilca noted, "Whoever wins will have half the country against them."

Source: www.aljazeera.com