India, June 24 -- A deepening political crisis has gripped Peru following a tense and razor-thin presidential runoff, as leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez officially declared on Tuesday that he will not recognise the results of the June 7 election.

Alleging widespread irregularities and "manipulation" in the vote-counting process, Sanchez has accused electoral authorities of favouring his conservative rival, Keiko Fujimori, in a contest that has left the nation on a knife-edge for weeks.

With 99.72% of the ballots now processed, Fujimori holds a narrow lead of 50.11% to 49.89%, a margin of roughly 35,000 votes. For Fujimori, the daughter of the late former President Alberto Fujimori, the current trajectory marks her closest attempt yet ...