Conservative leader Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru’s president on Tuesday in Lima, taking office as the country’s ninth president in a decade following a narrow runoff victory. Fujimori pledged to tackle organized crime and poverty while navigating a deeply polarized political landscape.
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Peru entered a new political chapter on Tuesday as conservative leader Keiko Fujimori officially took office in Lima, following a presidential runoff victory secured by a margin of fewer than 50,000 votes. The 51-year-old leader becomes Peru’s ninth president in ten years, stepping into a role defined by acute political turbulence. Over the past decade, only three of the nation’s presidents have won office through popular vote, while others assumed power after predecessors resigned or faced congressional removal amid corruption scandals.
Legislative Backing and the Conservative Shift
Fujimori’s ascent confirms a wider regional shift across South America toward the conservative wing. To shore up her administration against legislative volatility, her party, Popular Force, and its primary ally, Popular Renovation, have secured half the senate seats once the new legislature is installed. This institutional alignment is designed to make it harder for opposing legislators to attempt to remove her as president, though powerful domestic and international headwinds remain.
In addition to domestic political friction, the new administration confronts complex foreign policy and sovereignty challenges, including the growing presence of communist China alongside a boom in transnational organized crime. Observers note that Fujimori’s success in countering these syndicates and external pressures will depend heavily on her commitment to the cause and her smart use of political capital against entrenched interests.
Security Measures and Anti-Crime Pledges
Security formed the core of Fujimori’s campaign, particularly in response to a surge in extortion rackets nationwide. Addressing these syndicates, Fujimori pledged to govern with an iron fist
by implementing policies adopted by Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele. Among her stated plans is the construction of a megaprison modeled after El Salvador’s notorious CECOT penitentiary.
To protect judicial integrity, Fujimori announced reforms that will enable judges to hide their identities during criminal trials. Furthermore, she announced that the nation’s military will temporarily lead security operations in crime-afflicted regions.
“lead security operations in crime afflicted areas. And said she will 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.”
Fujimori said.
Beyond security, her executive agenda includes infrastructure development through expanded public-private partnerships, a 15% increase in the national minimum wage, and targeted reorganizations of social services aimed at curbing rural malnutrition.
“My goal is not only to administer the state. My main objective is to narrow the enormous social deficit that affects millions of Peruvians.”
Fujimori, via NPR
Deep Polarization and Unresolved Opposition Demands
Despite securing the presidency, Fujimori inherits a fractured nation. Her strongest support base lies in Peru’s capital and along the Pacific coastline, while voters in the Andean highlands—home to a larger Indigenous population—overwhelmingly backed left-wing challenger Roberto Sánchez, an ally of removed former President Pedro Castillo. Sánchez formally challenged the election results over alleged irregularities in consular vote counts abroad, but electoral authorities dismissed his complaints.
Opposition leaders and citizen groups are already pressing the new administration on multiple fronts. Protesters gathered outside parliament during the swearing-in ceremony, displaying photographs of the 50 civilians killed during anti-government protests in late 2022 and early 2023. Relatives of the deceased have stated they do not recognize Fujimori as president, demanding the creation of a commission to investigate the deaths.
At the same time, critics have urged the incoming government to repeal several legislative measures passed by the last legislature. Opponents argue that these laws weaken anti-corruption efforts by eliminating preventive arrests, shielding political parties involved in corruption from organized crime statutes, and restricting police powers to confiscate assets from criminal syndicates.
Even as social and regional disparities persist—particularly between coastal areas and Andean communities—Peru’s broader economic fundamentals remain resilient. The central bank continues to maintain benchmark interest rates below 5%, supported by a conservative approach to public spending. Whether Fujimori can balance these stable macroeconomic indicators with her aggressive security agenda and deep social demands remains the central question for her administration’s survival.
