Qualification in Peru: Sánchez turns and passes Keiko Fujimori by a small margin in the final straight With more than 95.977% of ballots counted, the second round dispute in Peru remains open this Tuesday (9), with left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez and right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori competing vote by vote. In the early afternoon of Monday (8), Sánchez took the lead in the presidential race and remains ahead of Keiko in the number of votes. Sánchez has 50.057% of the votes, while Fujimori has 49.943%, according to the latest update from the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) at 1:30 pm, Brasília time. Due to the small difference, the outcome of the election remains undecided. 📱Bookmark g1 on Google and follow the main news of the day ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp According to the official count from the country's electoral body, after several hours with the conservative candidate leading the count, the left-wing deputy turned at 2:58 pm (Brasília time). The conservative candidate was considered the favorite in exit polls, but the deputy was already expected to grow in the final stretch, as he is strong in rural electoral areas, the last to be counted. Keiko, daughter of convicted former president Alberto Fujimori, came first in the first round, with 17.2% of valid votes. Sánchez won 12% of the valid votes in the first vote, which had a record 35 candidates. The polling stations were closed at 5pm local time (7pm Brasília time) on Sunday (7), after a journey without major incidents, unlike the chaotic first round, marked by technical failures and allegations of fraud. Counting votes for president in Peru Art/g1 Fragmented first round Montage shows Peruvian presidential candidates Keiko Fujimori (right) and Roberto Sánchez on June 7, 2026, the day of voting in the second round ERNESTO BENAVIDES / AFP The country went to the polls amid a fragmented political scenario and with a record number of candidates. Lucas Berti, political scientist, researcher on Peru at the South American Political Observatory and executive coordinator of the International Relations and Global South Group, states that, in fact, what happened in these elections is a consequence of disbelief in institutions. "It is a symptom of a process of institutional delegitimization that has been happening in recent years in the country. And this, to the extent that elected presidents are unable to govern," he stated. 9 presidents in 10 years Peru has had 9 presidents in 10 years. To give you an idea, presidential terms in Peru are 5 years. In other words, in democratic stability, the country would only have two presidents in the same period. However, the reality was different, and some leaders did not last even 5 days in office. "In these years, the leadership that lasted the longest was that of Dina Boluarte, who remained in power for almost three years. But, after displeasing the opposition led by Keiko's Fujimorist coalition in Congress, he also fell", says Berti Furthermore, article 113 of the Peruvian Constitution states that a president can be overthrown due to "permanent moral or physical incapacity" - and parliamentarians are the ones who evaluate this diagnosis. So, for example, if Congress simply doesn't like a law that the president is trying to pass, they can trigger that article, vote and, in less than 24 hours, overthrow a president who was elected by the majority of the population. For political scientist Berti, this ease of the process demonstrates the institutional fragility at play in Peru. According to him, in recent years, the Fujimorist coalition, with an absolute majority in Congress, has been articulating powers, whether in the Legislature, in the courts or in the judicial system. Since 2008, Alberto Fujimori's daughter has led this Fujimorist movement by founding the Fuerza Popular party and trying to reach the Executive Branch in Peru. But that doesn't happen, explains Berti. "Keiko lost the last three elections (2011, 2016 and 2021) in the second round, by very tight margins. And now in this election, in 2026, he goes to the second round with a larger margin of votes. Some institutes give an advantage to Keiko, others to Sánchez. Which indicates one thing: the election will be difficult and the result is still open", says Berti. Democracy in crisis: 'chronic distrust' The consequence of this struggle between the Executive and Legislative branches in the country resulted not only in a deep political crisis, but also in the way the population views democracy. "The credibility of institutions is very low if we look at the last 10 years. And distrust in Congress exceeds 90%, especially during the process that would result in the fall of former president Dina Boluarte, in 2025", explains Berti. The most recent data from the Latinobarómetro survey, which measures the level of democracy in Latin American countries, shows that Peru faces one of the lowest levels of trust in institutions compared to other Latin American countries. There is what can be classified as "chronic distrust". According to the data, 90% of Peruvians have little or no trust in the government and Congress; and just 10% say they are satisfied with democracy. Furthermore, the survey also noted another dangerous feeling: indifference about politics or the type of government regime. "It is very easy to create parties in Peru and they are parties called 'little institutionalized'. They are parties that do not have effective roots in a society, which is not a party that enters the dispute for 20, 40 years. But rather parties that appear and disappear, just as there is no loyalty from the candidates to the parties, which also change coalitions easily", explains Berti. This entire scenario reinforces in voters the logic that candidates often reach an election without a solid base or without a known party. This ends up generating a sense of distrust and, often, disbelief and fear of the ease with which these elected people can fall. Unicameral x bicameral system Unlike Brazil, Peru did not have the so-called bicameral system — in which the Legislative Power is exercised by the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. In Peru, Congress was made up of just one, with 130 parliamentarians serving. However, this year's elections in Peru also reestablished the bicameral legislative system, with a House and Senate, for the first time in decades. Since the first round of elections took place in April, the Andean country has once again had a Chamber of Deputies, with 130 seats, and a Senate, with 60 seats. Under the new system, the removal of a president will require approval in both Houses, with the Senate being the final authority to determine the president's future. Context: Until 1992, the country had a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. That year, then-president Alberto Fujimori (1938 -2024) carried out a “self-coup”: among other measures, he closed Congress, sent soldiers into the streets and promulgated a new Constitution the following year. In the text, which was approved by a referendum, it was determined that the country would no longer have a Senate, and the rule was in force until this year. *With information from Thais Fascina, from GloboNews