Polls opened in Peru's presidential runoff Sunday, with crime and political instability dominating a race to choose the country's ninth leader in a decade.
Pre-election opinion polling predicts a tight race between conservative four-time presidential hopeful Keiko Fujimori and leftist ex-minister Roberto Sanchez.
Sanchez, a psychologist, surged late in the race to reach the runoff, thanks to strong support in rural areas.
Around 27 million voters can cast ballots to choose a president for a five-year term.
On the eve of the vote a judge said Sanchez must stand trial over past financial irregularities in his party.
If he wins, he would have presidential immunity, though remain vulnerable in a right-leaning parliament.
Fujimori, 51, appeals to the mixed legacy of her late father, who stabilized the economy and defeated a Maoist insurgency, but was convicted of corruption and crimes against humanity.
She is hoping to ride a surge of support for right-wing US-backed politicians across Latin America in recent elections.
She has promised to militarize prisons and expel some migrants with the "same force" used by her father against insurgents in the 1990s.
