Razor-thin margin as counting nears end in Peru’s presidential election

Presidential candidate Pedro Castillo waves to supporters (Martin Mejia/AP)

A rural teacher-turned-political novice and the daughter of an imprisoned former president disputed the lead in a tight race for Peru’s presidency in a run-off election as the coronavirus pandemic continues to batter the Andean country.

With 96% of ballots tallied, leftist Pedro Castillo had 50.2% of the vote, while conservative Keiko Fujimori had 49.7%, according to official results.