Leftist Sanchez gains traction ahead of Peru runoff vote, Ipsos poll shows

Peru’s leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez has gained ground against conservative Keiko Fujimori ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff, though both candidates remained in a statistical tie, an Ipsos poll showed on Thursday.

Sanchez, ally of ousted and jailed former President Pedro Castillo, has recently moderated his messaging and secured 43.8% of support in the poll. Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, gained 43.2% of the intended vote, the poll showed.

The poll was conducted on June 3 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1%, sources close to Ipsos said.

About 13% of poll respondents voted blank or annulled their ballot.

A previous Ipsos poll released May 31 showed Fujimori at 38% and Sanchez at 35%, with 27% of voters still undecided.

Fujimori, running for the fourth time and considered pro-market, won the first round of the presidential vote on April 12 with 17.18% of votes.

It is illegal within Peru to publish polls during the last week before a presidential election. Surveys can be carried out as long as local media do not publish them.