Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru's president on Tuesday after defeating Roberto Sanchez by fewer than 50,000 votes in June's run-off. The 51-year-old now leads Peru at a time when voters are demanding order and critics are already warning about how she will use power.
During her inauguration ceremony, Fujimori told Congress, “I swear … that I will faithfully carry out the duties of president of the republic,”. She also promised to restore stability after years of political turmoil, becoming Peru's ninth president in a decade.
Congress and the Senate balance
Fuerza Popular is the largest bloc in Congress, and Fuerza Popular and its main right-wing ally will hold half the seats in the newly installed Senate. That gives Fujimori a stronger starting position than many of her recent predecessors, but right-wing parties still fall short of the majority needed to push through her agenda.
The numbers matter because Fujimori does not enter office with a free hand. Her congressional base can help block pressure to remove her, yet it cannot by itself pass the laws she would need to govern on her own terms. The practical test now is whether Fujimori can turn that half-seat balance into discipline across Congress without a majority behind her.
Lima opposition to Fujimori
On the eve of the inauguration, relatives of victims of state violence gathered in Lima to reject the incoming government. Cesar Fuentes, a retiree, told AFP, “She is going to be a replica of her father,”. Opposition groups also urged the new government to reverse recent laws they say have weakened efforts to tackle organised crime.
That fear sits beside Fujimori's pledge to restore stability. Her campaign centered on law and order as Peru faces its worst security crisis in decades, and she pledged to tackle crime with an “iron fist,”. Her proposals included a mega-prison modelled on El Salvador's Cecot facility, anonymous judges for criminal trials, deportations of undocumented migrants and requiring prisoners to work for their food.
Alberto Fujimori's legacy
Fujimori is the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who ruled Peru during the 1990s. Supporters credited Alberto Fujimori with defeating the Shining Path and bringing hyperinflation under control through harsh neoliberal reforms, while he was later convicted of corruption and crimes against humanity and served 16 years in prison.
That family history is part of the political argument around her presidency. Critics fear that a hard-line crime drive could revive tactics associated with Alberto Fujimori, while opposition groups are pressing for reversals and for reopened efforts to investigate the deaths of dozens of protesters during demonstrations in 2022 and 2023.
