Keiko Fujimori returns family dynasty to power in Peru after 30 years
by Macarena Hermosilla · UPIJuly 28 (UPI) -- After 15 years of failed attempts and four presidential campaigns, Keiko Fujimori on Tuesday became Peru's first woman elected president by popular vote, returning her family's political movement to the Government Palace after nearly three decades.
Fujimori, the daughter and political heir of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, took office on the same date her father did in 1990. She assumes leadership of a country that faces a severe public security crisis and the immediate challenge of governing a fractured nation.
Her inauguration also marks the return to power of the Fujimori political movement, which remains deeply divisive in Peru.
Fujimori won one of the closest presidential elections in the country's history, receiving 50.135% of valid ballots in the runoff. She defeated leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez by 49,641 votes.
Her campaign capitalized on widespread concern about crime and extortion by organized criminal groups, helping her consolidate the conservative vote around a pledge to restore public order through tough security policies.
Fujimori's political career has been shaped by her efforts to unite the movement founded by her father under her own leadership and defend his administration. Alberto Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity and corruption.
Since founding the Popular Force party, Keiko Fujimori made her father's legal and political defense a central cause for her supporters. She used the influence of her party's congressional delegation to push for his release, which occurred in 2023.
The Fujimori movement continues to divide Peru because it represents two conflicting interpretations of the country's recent history.
Supporters view it as the political movement that rescued Peru from economic collapse and defeated the Sendero Luminoso terrorist organization in the 1990s. Critics regard it as a corrupt autocracy responsible for serious human rights violations, forced sterilizations and the weakening of democratic institutions.
Hours before taking the oath of office Tuesday, Fujimori remembered her late father on social media. Her inauguration coincided with Peru's Independence Day celebrations and Alberto Fujimori's birthday.
"Dad, today Peru remembers you and millions carry you in their hearts. I know you are with me on this very important day. Happy birthday in heaven, Daddy," she wrote on Instagram.
Fujimori begins her five-year term with insecurity and rising crime among her administration's main challenges.
During the presidential campaign, she explicitly invoked the anti-terrorism tactics used in the 1990s and promised a "full-scale war" against criminal organizations. The approach represented a break from previous elections, when she tried to distance herself from her father's legacy.
The Popular Force leader fully embraced Alberto Fujimori's record by proposing tougher anti-terrorism laws, stronger intelligence services and expanded roles for the military and special forces.
Although the tough-on-crime platform helped her win the presidency, it also raised concerns among political opponents and human rights advocates. They warn that her policies could repeat abuses for which Alberto Fujimori was convicted.
Fujimori also will have to build political agreements after years of instability that have left Peru with eight presidents in 10 years. Congress removed several of those presidents through impeachment proceedings, often with support from Fujimori-aligned lawmakers.
Political analysts say Fujimori appears to have sufficient legislative protection to reduce the risk of removal during her five-year term.
Unlike the eight presidents who preceded her and faced chronic instability, Fujimori enters office with the largest bloc in the newly restored bicameral Congress. Popular Force holds 41 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 seats in the Senate.
Popular Force also formed an alliance with right-wing and far-right parties that secured control of the Senate leadership. The governing bloc holds more than one-third of the votes, enough to block attempts by the leftist opposition to impeach or remove the president.
Fujimori's victory reinforces Latin America's political shift toward right-wing and center-right governments. She joins leaders including Javier Milei of Argentina, Daniel Noboa of Ecuador, Santiago Peña of Paraguay, Rodrigo Paz of Bolivia, José Raúl Mulino of Panama and José Antonio Kast of Chile.
The leaders traveled to Peru to attend Tuesday's inauguration.