Keiko Fujimori sworn in as Peru's president after winning runoff by fewer than 50,000 votes

Updated: July 29, 2026 12:01 pm IST Source: AP — Lima

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. The victory confirms 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 aims 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 assumed office after their predecessors resigned or were removed by congress amid protests or corruption scandals.

Ms. 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 more difficult for opposing legislators to attempt her removal.

An Incoming President with a Political Past and Promises for the Future

Ms. Fujimori centred her campaign on promises to improve security in a nation where extortion rackets have become a significant problem. She has also pledged 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, stabilised its economy, and defeated 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 2024.

During her campaign, Keiko Fujimori pledged to fight crime with an "iron fist," implementing some policies adopted by Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele, and to build a megaprison modelled after the notorious Cecot penitentiary in El Salvador.

To guarantee judges their safety, she said she would implement reforms enabling them to hide their identities while overseeing criminal trials.

She also announced on Tuesday that she would reorganise social services to fight malnutrition in rural communities and announced a 15 per cent increase in the nation's minimum wage.

Ms. Fujimori stated that the nation's military will "temporarily" lead security operations in crime-affected areas. She also said she would focus on preparing the South American nation for the latest onset of El Niño, 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. "My main objective is to narrow the enormous social deficit that affects millions of Peruvians."

Opposition Leaders Remember Those Killed in Protests

Opposition leaders have asked Ms. Fujimori's incoming government to reverse a series of laws approved by Peru's last legislature, which critics say weaken efforts to fight organised crime.

The laws:

• Eliminate preventive arrests
• Stop prosecutors from processing political parties involved in corruption under the same statutes as criminal groups
• Make it harder for police to confiscate the goods of criminal groups

Opposition leaders are also requesting the incoming government to create a commission to investigate the deaths of 50 civilians during anti-government protests in late 2022 and early 2023, following the removal of former President Pedro Castillo.

During Ms. Fujimori's swearing-in ceremony, some opposition lawmakers protested outside the parliament in Lima, holding photos of people killed during the protests. Relatives of the dead have said they do not recognise Ms. Fujimori as President and are protesting her inauguration.

Fujimori Will Lead a Deeply Polarised Country

Ms. Fujimori was widely backed by voters in Peru's capital and along the Pacific coast, but voters in the highlands — where support for her opponent was stronger — remain deeply sceptical of her leadership. The narrow election result underscores the deep political divisions within the country.