Fujimori hints at rejecting vote result

Peru’s right-wing presidential contender Keiko Fujimori has hinted that she would not accept the official result of June 6 elections that are yet to be announced.

Fujimori, who lost the election to leftist rival Pedro Castillo according to the count that is under review after she challenged thousands of votes, faces an imminent corruption trial if she loses.

If she becomes president, the case against her would be delayed until after her term, under Peruvian law.

With the outcome of the JNE election jury’s review of her challenge expected in the coming days, Fujimori told supporters on Saturday that “we will not accept” what she described as a “fraud”.

“Throughout these weeks we have seen so many allegations of irregularities and they want to hastily release a result,” she told a meeting in Lima.

Fujimori backers have called for new elections to be held, while she has urged President Francisco Sagasti to seek an international audit of the vote.

Hundreds of supporters of both candidates in the polarising election have set up camp in the Peruvian capital to “defend” their votes.

According to the count, Castillo received 50.12% of the ballots cast – some 44,000 more than Fujimori.

The United States, the European Union and the Organisation of American States have said the election was free and fair.

Fujimori has already spent 16 months in pre-trial detention on charges of taking money from scandal-tainted Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht to fund failed presidential bids in 2011 and 2016.

She denies the charges.