Race tied between left- and right-wing rivals in Peru’s presidential vote

The left- and right-wing contenders in Peru’s presidential race were neck and neck as counting of the votes cast in Sunday’s election neared completion.

With more than 92 percent of polling centres reporting results on Monday, right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori held a slender lead over leftist rival congressman Roberto Sanchez. The even split illustrates deep political polarisation in the South American country.

Fujimori, a four-time candidate and daughter of former hardline President Alberto Fujimori, was less than one percentage point ahead on 50.2 percent, versus Sanchez’s 49.8 percent.

The count was expected to narrow further as the final ballots were tallied in rural areas, where Sanchez has dominated in Peru’s tense election season .

Both of the rivals are vying to become the South American country’s ninth leader in a decade, following a series of forced resignations and impeachments.

“As of now, there is no winner. There will be long days ahead,” said Fujimori late on Sunday. Sanchez described the race as a “dead heat”.

“The result reflects the country’s divisions,” Paulo Vilca, a political analyst at the Peruvian Studies Institute, told the AFP news agency. “Whoever wins will have half the country against them.”

Fujimori, 51, has pitched her candidacy in the tough-on-crime mould of her father, vowing to “defeat terrorism” and impose a 60-day state of emergency.