Keiko Fujimori can't avoid run-off election for Peru presidency

Keiko Fujimori, the conservative daughter of jailed former president Alberto Fujimori, won the first round of Peru's presidential election on Sunday but she will likely face centre-right economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in a tight run-off.

Exit polls and early official results showed Fujimori with close to 40 per cent support, falling well short of the 50 per cent needed for an outright victory. A quick count by polling firm Ipsos said Fujimori had 39.6 per cent of the vote with Kuczynski on 21.5 per cent and leftist lawmaker Veronika Mendoza on 18.7 per cent.

Early results and exit polls also showed that Kuczynski, a 77-year-old former World Bank economist, had a lead for second place and a spot in the run-off, although the results could still change as more votes come in from more remote areas.

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With 40 per cent of votes counted, Peru's electoral authority said Fujimori led with 39.2 per cent while Kuczynski had 24.3 per cent and Mendoza 16.6 per cent.

Despite her lead on Sunday, polls have shown Fujimori could lose the June 5 run-off vote because many voters opposed to her father's authoritarian rule in the 1990s are likely to rally behind her rival, whether it is Kuczynski or Mendoza.

Crime, resource wealth key issues

Support for Fujimori, 40, slipped after tens of thousands protested against her on April 5, 24 years after her father shut Congress with the support of the army.

A runoff between Fujimori and the 77-year-old Kuczynski would likely ensure Peru's free-market economic model remains intact. Kuczynski is seen as Wall Street's preferred candidate.

Mendoza wants to limit Peru's crucial mining industry and her late surge in opinion polls spooked investors.

Peru is on track to become the world's No. 2 copper producer.

Rising crime was a central campaign issue and many Peruvians question why poverty persists with such vast mineral wealth.

Kuczynski's supporters danced in the streets with his guinea pig mascot after the exit polls were reported but it was not yet clear whether he had secured a run-off place.

Mendoza, 35, thanked her supporters from her home city of Cuzco, once the capital of the Incan empire. "We've shown that we can do politics differently," she said.

Partial official results were expected later on Sunday and the country's electoral body said it would finish counting on Monday.

A recent Ipsos poll showed Kuczynski would likely beat Fujimori in a second-round election while Mendoza was seen in a statistical tie with Fujimori.

Alberto Fujimori, a right-wing populist, is serving a 25-year prison term for human rights abuses and corruption during his 1990-2000 rule.

'She's not to blame for what her father did'

He is fondly remembered by some for building rural schools and hospitals and implementing neo-liberal reforms that remain in place. Keiko Fujimori famously became Peru's first lady at 19 when her parents divorced.

She promises to preserve democracy and extend 25 years of free-market policies if she wins power.

Fujimori has also pledged to build high-altitude prisons in the Andes to isolate dangerous criminals, and said she would drive economic growth forward by tapping a rainy day fund and issuing new debt to fund badly needed infrastructure.

She says her father is innocent and should be absolved by the courts but has promised not to use her political power to free him from jail or repeat his authoritarian tendencies.

"I voted for Keiko because she's not to blame for what her father did," said 41-year-old Carlos Zevallos. "Crimes aren't inherited."

The elder Fujimori said his hard-line measures were necessary to defeat the Maoist-inspired Shining Path guerrilla group.

In a reminder of that bloody conflict, rebels presumed to be remnants of the Shining Path on Saturday ambushed soldiers sent to safeguard ballots, leaving at least six dead, authorities said.