HomeGeneral NewsKeiko Fujimori vows to unite a Peru 'split in two' as runoff...

Keiko Fujimori vows to unite a Peru ‘split in two’ as runoff lead holds

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By Marco Aquino and Alexander ‌Villegas

LIMA, June 24 (Reuters) - Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori said on Wednesday she would ​seek to unite a Peru "split in two" if she takes office, after razor-thin election results gave her enough votes to ⁠secure what appears to be an insurmountable lead in the presidential runoff.

Fujimori, a four-time presidential hopeful and the daughter of late former President Alberto Fujimori, said she would make an "open call" to ​experienced technocrats to form her first cabinet, as she seeks to fulfill campaign promises to curb crime and tackle deep ‌inequality.

The 51-year-old politician opened up an unbeatable advantage late on Tuesday over her leftist rival Roberto Sanchez following the June 7 runoff, which took weeks to resolve because of challenges to ballots and the ⁠late arrival of votes from abroad.

Although Fujimori stopped short of declaring victory, she ⁠spoke about her first steps in a potential government while awaiting the official announcement of the winner, which electoral authorities are expected to make by mid-July.

"We are aware that Peru is divided, that it is practically split in two," Fujimori told a news conference.

"Starting on July 28 (inauguration day), what you ‌will be able to see are actions and decisions that will be taken not only to ⁠restore order, but to confront crime and also to bring progress," ‌she said.

At 99.87% of the official count, Fujimori had 50.12% of ​valid votes against 49.88% for Sanchez, according to electoral data.

The electoral authority has yet to officially declare a winner. International observers said the election was conducted normally despite disputes over ballots.

On Tuesday, ‌Sanchez alleged without evidence that fraud was underway and said he ​would not recognize a Fujimori government.

Fujimori declined ⁠to respond directly to her rival's remarks, but said that because the country ‌had emerged from the election fragmented, "the opinions of Sanchez ⁠and his party, with whom we have competed, will also be important in beginning this process of coming together again as Peruvians."

Fujimori's expected victory would mark the return of a political dynasty that ​has inspired both fierce loyalty and ‌deep hostility among voters in a country mired in near-constant political crisis, and the comeback of one ⁠of Peru's most dominant and polarizing political forces ​of the last three decades.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino, Alexander Villegas and Leon Ramirez; Editing by ​Muralikumar Anantharaman, Edwina Gibbs and Alistair Bell)

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