Peru Presidential Election: Sanchez Supporters Protest Fujimori's Lead Amidst Vote Count

Kathmandu. Hundreds of supporters of Peru's left-wing presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez protested in Lima on Saturday after partial results of the presidential election count showed a slight lead for right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori.

With 98.5 percent of the ballots counted from the second round of voting held last Sunday, a difference of about one percent point was seen. Fujimori has received 50.05 percent of the votes, while Sanchez has received 49.95 percent of the votes. With more than 18 million ballots counted, Fujimori is ahead of Sanchez by 18,500 votes.

On Friday, Sanchez suggested to Fujimori to jointly apply for a recount, alleging irregularities in the capital Lima and voting from abroad. On Saturday, a crowd gathered in Lima city in support of Sanchez, chanting 'For the justice and dignity of Peruvians, Fujimori will never be acceptable' and protesting in various parts of the city.

They also chanted slogans outside the premises of the Election Court, the headquarters of the National Jury. "The winner here is Sanchez, and we are protesting with the demand that this court respects the popular vote and the will of the people," 57-year-old teacher Daniel Cerón told AFP.

Election officials said that they are examining the disputed ballots filed in the Election Court and the vote count is in the final stages, resolving the issues.

However, the head of the Election Authority said that the final results may not be known for another two weeks. Many voters believed that the presidential election would end the political chaos of recent years. In about a decade, eight presidents have been elected here, and most of them were removed from office on various charges after failing to address corruption and mismanagement, not living up to public expectations. The winner of this election will be the ninth president in a decade. This election will also decide the vice president and members of parliament.

However, the closely contested result appears to have seriously divided the population of the South American nation of Peru, with the coastal, more rural areas and the country's south, inhabited by indigenous communities.