Peru presidential contender Kuczynski leading with 50.58% of votes

After 36.1 percent of ballots were counted, Kuczynski was in the front with 50.58 percent of votes, while Keiko Fujimori, daughter of ex-President Alberto Fujimori, secured 49.42 percent.

The South American nation went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president who will replace left-wing Ollanta Humala. A simple majority is required to win.

Announcing the preliminary results, the head of Peru's National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) said that, "Today's election is a historic landmark, it is the fourth consecutive general election in the democracy."

Earlier polls suggested that Kuczynski, an ex-prime minister and former financier at the World Bank, was tied with center-right Fujimori, whose father is serving a lengthy jail term on charges of corruption and human rights violations.

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