Washington calls Peru election 'fair' despite Fujimori claims of voter fraud

Peru's presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori addresses supporters in Lima, Peru June 19, 2021. REUTERS/Gerardo Marin

The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that Peru's recent presidential election was "a model of democracy," despite efforts by conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori to get ballots thrown out while raising accusations of voter fraud.

Peruvians went to the polls on June 6. Electoral authorities are still evaluating challenges to some ballots while preliminary results narrowly favor socialist Pedro Castillo over Fujimori, daughter of jailed ex-President Alberto Fujimori.

"We congratulate the Peruvian authorities for safely administering another round of free, fair, accessible and peaceful elections, even amid the significant challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement released in Washington.

FILE PHOTO: Peru's presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori talks with journalists as she arrives at the National Court of Tacna Avenue in Lima, Peru, June 21, 2021. REUTERS/Angela Ponce/File Photo

"These recent elections are a model of democracy in the region. We support giving the electoral authorities time to process and publish the results in accordance with Peruvian law."

(Reporting by Marco Aquino, writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Jane Wardell)