Peru’s presidential run-off on Sunday will be the Andean country’s most polarised election in its recent history.
The vote pits a left-wing teacher and populist political newcomer, Pedro Castillo, against a household name, right-winger Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of jailed ex-President Alberto Fujimori.
Uncertainty has gripped this country ahead of what polls have predicted will be a very close race.
Mr Castillo was the unexpected winner of the first round in April, which saw votes split among a wide field of candidates.
The teacher, who likes to campaign in a cowboy hat and often carries an oversized pencil – the symbol of his Free Peru party – won nearly 19% of the votes, followed by Ms Fujimori with 13.4%.
Since then, Mr Castillo has appeared to maintain an advantage, but the gap between the two has narrowed dramatically, with the most recent opinion polls suggesting a technical draw. In the countdown to the run-off, tensions in the electoral battle were exacerbated by violence on the ground.
