Several protesters suffered bullet wounds in clashes with police in the Peruvian city of Iquitos following yesterday's controversial election results, Lima's CPN radio reported last night.
The radio station said a yet undetermined number of people were wounded when police opened fire to disperse a march of 4,000 people protesting against yesterday's run-off presidential contest. Another radio report said police and military troops also fired shots in the air to disperse a protest in Trujillo, in northwestern Peru.
In Lima thousands of people crammed into a square to attend a rally called by opposition leader Mr Alejandro Toledo, who boycotted yesterday's vote.
Early this morning, projections based on the first 25 per cent of the votes counted gave President Alberto Fujimori 77 per cent of valid ballots in the second round vote, but showed that up to 30 per cent of votes had been spoiled by angry opposition voters.
"It's a sham of a mockery of an election," said Mr Toledo earlier. He is a former World Bank employee, who had called on supporters to spoil their votes and start a campaign of "permanent and peaceful civil disobedience".
Mr Fujimori secured 49.87 per cent of votes in the first round held last month, but the number of votes cast exceeded the number of eligible voters by over one million, casting a long shadow over the result.
Control over yesterday's count remains in the hands of the National Office for Electoral Processes which was responsible for the irregularities in the first round. The lack of guarantees forced virtually all observers to withdraw from the elections.
Mr Toledo is now banking on international outcry and street protests to force Mr Fujimori to call fresh elections.
But President Fujimori is expected to hold firm over the results, plunging the country into a period of political and economic uncertainty.