Peru swears in Keiko Fujimori as first woman president amid protests and deep polarization

Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru's president on Tuesday, becoming the first woman elected by popular vote to lead the country. She won the election by a narrow margin of less than 50,000 votes over leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez. Fujimori, the leader of the Fuerza Popular party, takes office amid deep polarization and promises to restore stability and tackle crime.
Fujimori's inauguration marks the return of Fujimorism to power after 26 years. Her father, Alberto Fujimori, resigned in 2000 amid a corruption scandal and was later convicted of crimes against humanity and corruption. Despite his controversial legacy, Keiko Fujimori has championed her father's legacy and promised to lead a "safe, prosperous, and united" country.
In her inauguration speech, Fujimori vowed to tackle Peru's worst security crisis in decades, driven by the spread of local and foreign criminal gangs. She proposed measures including deploying the military to crime-ridden areas, setting up courts with anonymous judges, and making prisoners work for their food. "During states of emergency, the armed forces will temporarily take the lead in security operations," she said.
Fujimori's victory comes after a decade of political turmoil in Peru, which has seen nine presidents in the past ten years. Her Fuerza Popular party and its ally control half the seats in the newly installed Senate, making it more difficult for lawmakers to remove her from office. However, right-wing parties still fall short of the majority needed to push through her agenda.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by several Latin American leaders, including Argentina's Javier Milei, Chile's José Antonio Kast, and Bolivia's Rodrigo Paz. A group of leftist lawmakers left the room in protest during Fujimori's speech.
Fujimori's political career has been marked by her association with her father's legacy. She entered public life at 19 when her father asked her to be first lady after a public split with her mother. She has spent decades at the center of Peruvian politics and has run for president three times before.
Her father, Alberto Fujimori, ruled Peru during the 1990s and was credited by supporters with defeating the Shining Path, a Maoist rebellion, and bringing hyperinflation under control. However, he was also convicted of corruption and crimes against humanity.
Fujimori's campaign centered on law and order, with promises to restore political stability, tackle rising crime, and revive economic growth. She has also vowed to tackle the El Niño climate phenomenon, which meteorologists predict will be the most intense and devastating since 1998.
The new president has confirmed three names for her cabinet: Luis Galarreta as President of the Council of Ministers, Elmer Cuba as Minister of Economy and Finance, and Carlos Espá as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Protests erupted in Lima as Fujimori was sworn in, reflecting the deep divisions in Peruvian society over her election and the return of Fujimorism to power.
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