Full Peru vote count gives Kuczynski win, but court challenges loom

Ex-Wall Street banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has won the majority of votes with all ballots counted in Peru's photo-finish presidential election, officials said Thursday, but the official result will depend on a handful of challenged ballots.

With all votes finally counted four days after the run-off election, Kuczynski had 50.12 percent to 49.88 percent for his rival, Keiko Fujimori, electoral authorities said.

But the gap between them was so small that an electoral court must settle the matter of the 0.2 percent of ballots that have been challenged for smudges, improper markings or other issues before a winner can be declared.

However, pollsters say it would be virtually impossible for Fujimori, the daughter of jailed ex-president Alberto Fujimori, to win.

Kuczynski made a brief, triumphant statement, but stopped short of declaring victory.

"There's a lot of work to do. It's still not completely official, but we're close," he told journalists outside his house in an upscale neighborhood of the capital, Lima, as he headed to his campaign headquarters.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote: "Thank you Peru! It's time to work together for the future of our country."

Fujimori did not immediately comment.

Source: AFP