LIMA , Peru (AFP) — Hundreds of supporters of Peru's leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez protested in Lima on Saturday, as partial results showed a slight lead for his right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori.
With 98.5 percent of the ballots counted from Sunday's runoff vote, a tenth of a percentage point separated the two and the race was still too close to call.
Sanchez suggested to Fujimori on Friday that they jointly request a recount, citing alleged irregularities in the capital Lima and voting from abroad.
Crowds gathered in support of Sanchez in downtown Lima on Saturday, chanting "for justice and dignity, Fujimori never again."
They marched to the headquarters of the National Jury of Elections, the country's electoral court.
"Here the winner is Roberto Sanchez and we are going to demand that this jury respect the popular vote, the will of the people," 57-year-old schoolteacher Daniel Cerron told Agence France-Presse.
With more than 18 million ballots counted, Fujimori was ahead of Sanchez by about 18,500 votes.
Fujimori was on 50.05 percent of the vote and Sanchez was on 49.95 percent, according to the National Office of Electoral Processes.
The vote count has entered its final phase, as electoral authorities examine contested ballots and challenges filed before electoral courts.
But the final result may not be known for another two weeks, according to the head of the electoral authority.