By Alexander Villegas and Marco Aquino
LIMA, June 7 (Reuters) - Peruvians vote in a tight run-off presidential election on Sunday that will either continue Latin America's rightward shift or buck the trend with a leftist candidate who rattled markets.
Voters are choosing between conservative Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former hardline President Alberto Fujimori who was later jailed for human rights abuses, and leftist Roberto Sanchez, a cowboy-hat wearing candidate emulating imprisoned former President Pedro
Castillo's rural appeal.
Polls are showing the candidates in a statistical tie.
Chile, Argentina, Costa Rica and Ecuador have all elected right-wing presidents in their latest elections, and Bolivia ended two decades of socialist rule in last year's presidential contest.
Peruvian voters have told pollsters they are overwhelmingly concerned with crime. Rates of homicide and extortion have soared, leading to widespread protests and the ouster of former President Dina Boluarte.
Fujimori, who previously tried to distance herself from her father's authoritarian, tough-on-crime policies, won the first round of voting in April as she leaned into his legacy. She compared his fight against left-wing Maoist insurgents to the country's current struggle with organized crime.
"We remember her father's legacy and he built a good government. He ended terrorism; he ended hyper-inflation," said Willy Policarpo, 44, an independent worker and lifelong "Fujimorista" who traveled from the central region of Huancayo to Fujimori's campaign closing on Thursday.
This is Fujimori's fourth time in a presidential runoff. In 2021, she lost by about 45,000 votes, or just over 0.2%, to Castillo.
Sanchez is hoping he can replicate Castillo's victory by focusing on Peru's other major political issue, inequality and the vast socioeconomic divide between capital Lima and rural regions.
Sanchez has promised an agenda of ambitious reform, including a new constitution, overhaul of mining concessions and boosting investment in rural regions.
His proposals have resonated with many, including the country's growing informal mining sector, but have rattled markets. Peruvian stocks fell on Friday as his campaign gained strength in polls to pull level with Fujimori.
Tensions are high, and a chaotic first round led to accusations of fraud and threats of protests from both camps. Whoever wins will also have to deal with a fragmented congress that has removed three presidents in the last five years.
Polls open at 7 a.m. (1200 GMT) and will close at 5 p.m. (2200 GMT). First results are expected within three hours while an official count can take weeks.
(Reporting by Alexander Villegas and Marco Aquino; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
