Peru presidential vote: Will convicted ex-leader's daughter win?

Her father was Peru's president for a decade.

Now, Keiko Fujimori could be on the verge of following in his footsteps.

When Peruvians headed to the polls Sunday to choose a new leader in the second round of presidential voting, Fujimori's name was one of two on the ballot.

She faces another well-known candidate: Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a former World Bank executive and ex-prime minister of Peru who has also served as finance minister and energy minister.

As the polls for the runoff vote closed Sunday, unofficial exit polls reported a tie between the two candidates, according to state news agency Andina.

Most other polls were also reporting a toss-up, within the margin of error. Official results are expected soon.

A controversial past

Fujimori's face is familiar to Peruvian voters.

She was appointed as first lady for part of her father's presidency and was elected to Peru's congress in 2006.

Her father is a controversial figure in Peru.

As president from 1990-2000, he is credited with restoring economic stability to the country and defeating the Maoist Shining Path guerillas, who carried out terrorist attacks. But he had an authoritarian streak that led to accusations of human rights abuses and corruption.

In separate trials, Fujimori was found guilty of breaking into the home of a former spy chief to steal incriminating videos, taking money from the government treasury to pay the spy chief, authorizing illegal wiretaps and bribing congressmen and journalists.

In 2009, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of authorizing the operation of a death squad responsible for killing civilians.

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori appears in court in 2013.

Five-year term

The winner of Sunday's vote will lead Peru for the next five years.

Controversies and protests have marred the campaign.

Demonstrators on both sides have clashed in the last few weeks, but there were no reports of violence during Sunday's voting.

Online posts from the candidates encouraged voters to head to the polls.

On her Twitter account Sunday, Fujimori posted a photo of herself smiling as she got ready to cast her ballot.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com