1st LD: Fujimori secures lead in Peru's presidential elections

Peru's presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, of the right-of-center Popular Force party, on Monday consolidated her lead over rivals in Sunday's general elections.

With 82.6 percent of the votes counted, the results showed Fujimori garnered 39.55 percent of the votes, giving her a wide 17-point lead over her closest rival, the National Office of Electoral Processes said.

Runner up Pedro Kuczynski, of the conservative Peruvians for Change party, secured 22.11 percent of the votes for a chance to compete in a June 5 presidential runoff against Fujimori.

Third-placed candidate Veronika Mendoza, of the left-leaning Broad Front, garnered 18.27 percent of the votes.

Another seven candidates shared the remainder of the votes.

Peru's election laws require a candidate to garner upwards of 50 percent of the votes for an outright win in the first round, otherwise the two leading candidates must face off in a runoff.

Pre-election polls showed Fujimori -- the daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), who is serving a lengthy prison sentence for corruption and human rights violations -- was the strongest candidate going into the elections, with the big question centering on who the runner-up would be.

Nearly 23 million Peruvians, including 900,000 living abroad, registered to vote in Sunday's elections for a president, 130 members of Congress, and five representatives to the Andean Parliament, which takes office July 28 for a five-year term. Endit