Keiko Fujimori has been sworn in as Peru’s president after winning a close runoff by fewer than 50,000 votes. She becomes the first woman elected to the office and Peru’s ninth president in a decade, inheriting a country weary of political turnover, organized crime and conflict between presidents and Congress.
Fujimori promised to serve the full 2026-2031 term and govern for all Peruvians. Her inauguration also reopened arguments about the record of her father, former president Alberto Fujimori, and about the security policies she plans to use against extortion and other violent crime.
Peru hears promises of order through a polarized history
The official Peruvian account emphasized continuity and constitutional transfer. Agencia Andina carried Fujimori’s first address, while the state newspaper El Peruano highlighted her status as the first woman chosen by popular vote to lead the country.
Fujimori made public security the central promise of her campaign. She has proposed military participation in the fight against crime, a large prison modeled in part on El Salvador’s approach and protections for judges handling dangerous cases. Supporters say Peru needs stronger state authority after a surge in extortion; opponents warn that emergency measures can weaken oversight without repairing police, prosecution and court capacity.
The new president appointed Luis Galarreta as prime minister. Her Popular Force party and its principal ally control half of the newly restored Senate, giving her a stronger legislative base than several recent presidents possessed. That may reduce the immediate risk of removal, but it also places more responsibility on the governing coalition for legislation inherited from the previous Congress.
Opposition leaders have asked Fujimori to reverse laws that they say make organized-crime investigations harder, including limits affecting preventive detention and asset seizures. Families of people killed during the 2022-2023 protests have also demanded accountability and some protested the inauguration.
Regional divisions remain visible beneath the national ceremony. The Associated Press noted Fujimori’s strength in Lima and along the Pacific coast, while highland regions with larger Indigenous populations strongly favored her opponent, Roberto Sánchez. A narrow result does not itself create a governing consensus.
Outside Peru, the inauguration looks like a regional turn
Much international coverage has placed Fujimori alongside recently elected conservative leaders in Latin America. That framing captures a regional shift toward tougher crime policies, market-friendly investment and closer relations with Washington, but it can flatten the distinct Peruvian history behind her victory.
Keiko Fujimori is not simply another incoming conservative. Her father governed Peru through an authoritarian turn in the 1990s and was later imprisoned for human-rights abuses. Many Peruvians also credit his government with defeating insurgent groups and stabilizing the economy. Those sharply opposed memories shape reactions to his daughter’s presidency.
Spanish-language international reporting has focused on her promise to remain in office for exactly five years and on plans to involve the military in domestic security. It has also noted a diplomatic tilt toward the United States. Neighbors will watch how that alignment affects trade, migration, Amazon security and regional political blocs.
What to watch
The first test is the government’s security package. Its legal design will show whether Fujimori prioritizes police and judicial capacity, military deployment, prison expansion or some combination. Congress’s response will reveal how durable her governing alliance is.
Also watch the cabinet’s approach to the contested laws affecting organized-crime cases and to demands for an investigation into protest deaths. These issues will help determine whether the new administration broadens its support or deepens the divide reflected in the runoff.
The next concrete milestones are the cabinet’s formal presentation to Congress, its request for a confidence vote and the publication of the first crime-control measures. Those steps will turn inauguration promises into policies that can be judged.
Sources
- Agencia Andina, Peru: inauguration and first national address, Spanish.
- El Peruano, Peru: official transfer and domestic priorities, Spanish.
- La República, Peru: cabinet appointments and domestic political context, Spanish.
- Associated Press, United States/Peru: election margin, regional divisions and security proposals, English.
- El País, Spain: international framing of the inauguration and crime policy, Spanish.
This article was prepared with AI assistance and human editorial review. Spanish- and English-language Peruvian official, domestic and international reporting was checked directly.