Sawt Falasteen - Voting underway in razor-tight Peru presidential runoff

From the Andes to the Amazon, around 27 million Peruvians face a polarising choice between conservative four-time presidential hopeful Keiko Fujimori and leftist Roberto Sanchez.

Neither candidate is a shoo-in, and many voters are just hoping the election can end years of political chaos that has seen a string of presidents jailed, deposed and impeached.

"We have to choose between the 'lesser evil'" said disgruntled 23‑year‑old voter Renzo Masa. "We're in a crisis that has lasted more than a decade."

April's first round was marred by logistical problems and a vote count that took weeks to complete, deepening distrust in Peru's creaking institutions.

Fujimori, 51, is hoping to ride a wave of support for right-wing candidates who have won recent elections in Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador with a tough-on-crime message.

She appeals to the legacy of her late father, who stabilized the economy and crushed a Maoist insurgency, but was convicted of corruption and crimes against humanity.

"Today is very important. Every vote counts," Fujimori said. She has promised to militarize prisons, expel migrants and tackle crime with the "same force" used by her father against insurgents in the 1990s.

Sanchez, a 57-year-old former psychologist, surged late in the race to reach the runoff, thanks to support in poorer rural areas.

Sanchez has moderated his early calls for "radical change" and told AFP he wants a "respectful" relationship with US President Donald Trump.

On the eve of the election, a judge said Sanchez must stand trial over past financial irregularities in his party, raising claims of interference.

If he wins, he would have presidential immunity, though remain vulnerable to the country's right-leaning legislature -- which has ousted several recent presidents.

"I hope the entire process is carried out transparently, that the people's vote is respected," early voter Evelyn Pazos, 43, told AFP.

Sanchez has the backing of former president Pedro Castillo, a schoolteacher jailed after a failed attempt to dissolve Congress in 2022.

Sanchez is rarely seen in public without a broad-brimmed palm straw hat gifted to him by his mentor, whom he plans to pardon.

- 'Communism' or 'dictatorship' -

Neither Sanchez nor Fujimori has a legislative majority. Whoever wins must build alliances to complete their term, according to analyst Jeffrey Radzinsky.

The winner will replace interim president Jose Maria Balcazar from July 28.

Despite political disillusionment, Peruvians' main concern is security, as criminal gangs spread and extortion complaints spiked ninefold in five years.

"They kill, dismember, demand protection money. Enough!" said 58-year-old taxi driver Roberto Lovaton.

The winner will inherit a stable economy, with GDP growth of over three percent and low inflation.

However, seven out of 10 workers are in the informal economy.

Fujimori supports neoliberal policies, property rights and attracting US investment.

Sanchez has promised wage increases and sought to reassure investors by pledging to maintain an open economy and central bank independence, key to economic stability.

H.Darwish--SF-PST