Peruvians head to the polls in a pivotal presidential runoff June 7 in an election that could reshape not only the country’s future but also the balance of power across Latin America.

Two candidates are vying to become the country’s ninth president in just 10 years. Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori is campaigning on law and order, free-market policies and closer ties with the United States, while left-wing challenger Roberto Sánchez represents a political movement that many see as a continuation of the leftist currents that have challenged U.S. interests in the region.

José Ignacio Beteta, executive director of Asociación de Contribuyentes, a think tank in Peru, told Fox News Digital, «Peru’s June 7 runoff carries consequences well beyond its borders. When analyzed against the current U.S. National Security Strategy, this election will determine whether Peru consolidates its alignment as a U.S. partner or devolves into deeper geopolitical contention. Peru’s institutional weakness has already allowed China to expand into strategic sectors.»

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Beteta added, «Meanwhile, the vote is seen as a choice between a return to freer and more competitive economic and security policies with Fujimori and a second attempt at left-wing governance with Sanchez, a binary that mirrors South America’s broader ideological fractures.»

The election follows years of political instability in Peru, a country that has seen multiple presidents removed from office over the past decade and remains deeply divided between urban and rural constituencies.

Sunday’s election’s outcome is expected to be very close, with the possibility of a final result not being known for days, according to the Associated Press. 

For Washington, Peru’s election represents more than a domestic political contest. It is another test of the broader political direction of Latin America. Over the past several years, several countries in the region have experienced electoral shifts toward center-right or conservative governments, including Argentina under Javier Milei and Ecuador under Daniel Noboa who are all more friendly to Washington.

A Fujimori victory would reinforce that trend and could position Peru alongside a growing bloc of governments favoring tougher approaches to crime, stronger ties with the United States and market-oriented economic policies.

Peru’s presidential candidate for the Fuerza Popular party, Keiko Fujimori, waves to supporters during her closing campaign rally in Lima on June 4, 2026. Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori and leftist Roberto Sanchez will face off in Peru’s presidential runoff on June 7, 2026.  (Anthony Nino de Guzman / AFP via Getty Images)

Presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori told Fox News Digital that if she wins, «My government’s foreign policy will be based on a very clear premise: defending Peru’s interests. Specifically, regarding the United States, my government will seek a relationship of cooperation, mutual respect and investment promotion. We welcome the Trump administration’s renewed perspective on Latin America and, especially, on Peru, which occupies a strategic geopolitical position in the region.»

Fujimori continued: «We want to seize this opportunity by generating greater stability, legal certainty, and confidence for investment. Peru must always be a country open to the world, committed to freedom, free competition, and the free market. Our goal is to lay the groundwork so that investors from the United States and around the world find in Peru a reliable, stable, and attractive country in which to invest, produce, and create jobs.»

Fox News Digital reached out to Sánchez’ campaign but did not get a response.

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Peru’s presidential candidate for the Juntos por el Peru party, Roberto Sanchez, speaks during a campaign rally at the Plaza Tupac Amaru in Cusco, Peru, on June 2, 2026.  (Jose Angulo / AFP via Getty Images)

Peruvian analyst and legal expert Lucas Ghersi told Fox News Digital, «Roberto Sánchez represents a rather radical left. His platform includes nationalizations and expropriations, and he is close to Evo Morales and Nicolás Maduro. This election is highly polarizing Peruvian society.»

Ghersi continued, «If Keiko Fujimori wins, she would have a good relationship with the United States. She is a reasonable person who defends the constitutional framework and the rule of law, and she has ties to the United States because she has done academic work at Florida International University (FIU).

«Roberto Sánchez, on the other hand, would create tension in the relationship with the United States. During his campaign and in the presidential debate, he bitterly criticized Peru’s purchase of F-16 jets from the United States. He said that Peru shouldn’t buy from the United States and should instead use that money for health or education. He also has ties to illegal mining and has been accused of drug trafficking. This could create tensions in the relationship with the United States.»

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Supporters of Peru’s presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, for the Fuerza Popular party, shout slogans outside the Lima Convention Center ahead of her debate with Roberto Sanchez, for the Juntos por el Peru party, in Lima on May 31, 2026. Peru will hold the presidential runoff election on June 7.  (Connie France/AFP via Getty Images)

Ghersi concluded, «Peru is a very strategic country and has been the focus of competition between the United States and China. Peru has one of the largest proven copper reserves and is a major gold producer. Therefore, both China and the United States are vying for influence in Peru, and China has been promoting mega-investment projects there, such as a mega-port that is already operational. In response, the United States offered to renovate the Peruvian Navy’s base and invest in large port projects.»

A Fujimori victory would likely be interpreted in Washington as a continuation of the recent trend toward center-right governance in parts of Latin America. Fujimori has campaigned on restoring public security, strengthening economic growth, and maintaining Peru’s market-oriented model. Her supporters argue that these policies could encourage greater foreign investment and closer cooperation with the United States on security and economic issues.

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A Sánchez victory would present a different scenario. Although he has recently moderated portions of his platform, emphasizing respect for private property, free trade agreements and macroeconomic stability, questions remain about how his administration would approach relations with Washington and regional left-wing movements.

The next Peruvian president will help determine whether one of South America’s most important countries moves closer to Washington, or charts a leftward course.

The Associated Press reports that voting is mandatory in Peru for citizens from the ages of 18 to 70, with more than 27 million people registered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., cursed out a Fox News Digital reporter after he began asking about allegations of a sexual relationship between her and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that were recently raised by a woman identifying herself as Massie’s ex-girlfriend.

«F – – – you, first of all!’ Boebert said to a Fox News Digital reporter when bringing up claims from Massie’s alleged ex-girlfriend.

«If you’re gonna bring me into this, like, the sexist stuff is like out of control,» she continued. «So there’s your clickbait that you were looking for.»

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Boebert then declined to discuss the allegations further.

The exchange came after Boebert had been discussing President Donald Trump’s efforts to unseat Republican incumbents and Massie’s political future.

The former congressional staffer Cynthia West, who previously worked for Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., accused Massie of bragging to her about an alleged sexual encounter with Boebert within weeks of his wife’s death.

West also accused Massie of offering her $5,000 to drop a wrongful termination lawsuit she was pursuing against Spartz, an ally of Massie. The allegations surfaced just a week before Massie lost his House seat in the May 19 Republican primary.

«I don’t want to talk about anybody’s exes and their crazy s– – – that they do,» Boebert said to the reporter.

Before the exchange turned contentious, Boebert was answering questions about whether Trump’s strategy of backing primary challengers against Republican incumbents is backfiring on the GOP agenda.

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Rep. Lauren Boebert defended her support for Rep. Thomas Massie after criticism from President Donald Trump. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Salwan Georges/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«I think most of the folks that have lost their primaries, they were backfiring on the GOP agenda — Cassidy, Cornyn,» Boebert replied.

«I mean, obviously Thomas Massie is the only one that I’m a little sad about,» she said. 

Boebert was also asked about Massie’s recent announcement that he is filing for re-election in 2028. Many are speculating that Massie could make a 2028 presidential run as he said he is unsure which position he will be seeking re-election for.

«I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run,» he wrote in a post on X announcing his re-election filing with the Federal Election Commission.  

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Rep. Thomas Massie speaks with supporters after his concession speech in Hebron, Ky., on May 19, 2026. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Boebert shared that she was unsure of Massie’s next move, before she reprimanded the reporter for shifting the conversation to allegations raised by West.

«He filed for something,» she said. «He didn’t specify what and I don’t know if he’s going to move forward with that or not. I don’t know.» «Hopefully he leaves here and makes some money,» Boebert added.

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Moments later, the reporter began asking about the allegations from Massie’s alleged ex-girlfriend, prompting Boebert’s expletive-laced response.

Boebert declined to discuss the allegations further and walked away from the interview.

Pope Leo XIV joked Saturday that he knows who would win if young people had to choose between seeing him or Latin pop singer Bad Bunny this weekend.

The Pope, who began a weeklong visit to Spain on Saturday, acknowledged that he is competing for attention with the Puerto Rican superstar while in Madrid. Many young Spaniards, he suggested, would likely choose the Grammy-winning artist over the pontiff.

«If they are confronted with the question ‘Do you want to go see Bad Bunny or do you want to go to see the pope?’ I think many will see Bad Bunny,» Leo told reporters aboard the papal plane before his arrival.

«But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope,» he added. «And that says something, you know.»

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Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, is currently performing a 10-show run in Madrid as part of his Spanish tour.

Leo raised the comparison while discussing what he described as signs of a spiritual awakening among some young people in Spain.

The pope said many young adults appear to be searching for meaning and expressed hope that his visit could help «awaken» something within them.

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Pope Leo XIV was first brought to the Vatican by Francis to serve as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in January 2023, which is one of the most important positions in the Catholic Church as it vets bishop nominations issued globally. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)

Despite his remarks, thousands of young Catholics turned out to greet the pope.

An estimated 500,000 people gathered in a Madrid plaza Saturday evening for a prayer vigil, chanting, «This is the youth of the pope!»

Leo later rode through the crowd in his popemobile while a Spanish rendition of the 1970s musical «Godspell» played.

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Bad Bunny speaks during the Super Bowl LX halftime show press conference at Moscone Center on Feb. 5, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

The Chicago-born pope was also asked about reports that the Chicago Bears could soon move out of Illinois.

The team’s board of directors voted Thursday to advance a proposed stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana.

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«That’s out of my pay (scale),» Leo quipped when asked about the potential relocation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.