Keiko Fujimori is inaugurated as Peru's President following narrow election victory
Conservative leader Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru's President on Tuesday (July 28, 2026) after winning the June presidential runoff by a margin of
Conservative leader Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru's President on Tuesday (July 28, 2026) after winning the June presidential runoff by a margin of fewer than 50,000 votes, a victory that confirmed a regional shift in South America toward the conservative wing. With the ceremony, Ms. Fujimori, a four-time presidential candidate and leader of Peru's largest political party, takes office as the country's ninth President in a decade. The 51-year-old is hoping to stabilise Peru's turbulent politics, reduce crime and boost economic growth. Over the past decade, only three of Peru's Presidents have been elected by popular vote. The rest have come into office after their predecessors resigned or were removed by congress amid protests or corruption scandals. Fujimori's Popular Force party and its main ally, Popular Renovation, will hold half the Senate seats once the new legislature is installed, making it harder for opposing legislators to attempt to remove her as President. An incoming President with a political past and promises for the future Fujimori centred her campaign around promises to improve security in a nation where extortion rackets have become a significant problem. She has also promised to develop infrastructure by making it easier for government agencies to form partnerships with private investors.
She is the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who led the country in the 1990s and stabilised its economy while defeating terror groups, but was later imprisoned for human rights abuses committed under his rule by the Peruvian military as his government took an authoritarian turn. He was pardoned in December 2023 and died in September the following year. During her campaign, Keiko Fujimori pledged to fight crime with an “iron fist,” implementing some policies adopted by Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele, and also build a megaprison modeled after the notorious Cecot penitentiary in El Salvador. To guarantee judges their safety, she has said she will implement reforms to enable them to hide their identities as they oversee criminal trials. She also said on Tuesday she would reorganise social services to fight malnutrition in rural communities and announced a 15 per cent increase in the nation's minimum wage. Fujimori said that the nation's military will “temporarily” lead security operations in crime afflicted areas. And she also said she will focus on preparing the South American nation for the latest onset of El Nino, a weather pattern that warms ocean temperatures and often leads to flooding along Peru's coast. “My goal is not only to administer the state,” Ms. Fujimori said.
The BriefWire