Peru inaugurates Keiko Fujimori, its ninth president in ten years

Peru is experiencing its ninth presidential transition in a decade with the inauguration of Keiko Fujimori, who will serve a five-year term from 2026 to 2031. Fujimori, the daughter and political heir of former President Alberto Fujimori, narrowly won the election by fewer than 50,000 votes against leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez.

As the first woman to be elected head of state in Peru, Fujimori aims to bring an end to the chronic political instability that has plagued the nation. This instability has often manifested as a cycle of presidential dismissals orchestrated by Parliament, frequently with the support of the Fujimorista movement.

Unlike many of her predecessors, Fujimori is expected to have sufficient parliamentary backing to complete her term. Her ascent to the presidency marks the return of Fujimorismo to the government, almost 26 years after her father resigned via fax from Japan amidst a major corruption scandal involving his close advisor, Vladimiro Montesinos.

Over the past quarter-century, Keiko Fujimori has led the Fujimorista movement, seeking to regain power and clear her father's name. Alberto Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes against humanity and various corruption charges. Keiko herself faced accusations of money laundering related to campaign financing, leading to her pre-trial detention for about 18 months between 2018 and 2020.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by ten heads of state and government, including King Felipe VI of Spain and the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Several former Latin American presidents, some with ties to Alberto Fujimori, also attended.