Initial vote counts and exit polls suggest Rafael Lopez, a businessman and former mayor of Lima, and Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of a former president, are advancing to a runoff.
Fujimori declares a victory of sorts, saying the “enemy of the left” has been defeated. Leftist candidate Jorge Nieto appears to be falling behind the two leading candidates.
Since no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote - no one seems to reach 20 percent - the two most popular will face off in a new round in June.
This is the ninth time in ten years that Peru will elect a new president, as previous presidents have been forced from office in ongoing political chaos.
