Keiko Fujimori becomes Peru's first elected female president

Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru's president on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, becoming the country's first woman elected to the office and returning her family's polarizing political dynasty to power after 26 years. The inauguration ceremony took place in front of Congress in Lima, coinciding with Peru's Independence Day.

Fujimori, 51, chairs the conservative Popular Force party and secured the presidency on her fourth attempt, having lost second-round votes in 2011, 2016, and 2021. She narrowly defeated left-wing lawmaker Roberto Sánchez in a June 7 runoff by just 49,641 votes out of nearly 18 million cast, a margin of roughly 50.1% to 49.9%. The National Jury of Elections formally proclaimed her the winner on July 3 after reviewing disputed tally sheets. Sánchez contested the results, alleging mishandling of overseas ballots, but election authorities and observers rejected the fraud claims.

Her victory marks the return of the Fujimori name to executive power since her father, Alberto Fujimori, governed in the 1990s. The former president fled the country amid scandal, was later convicted for corruption and human rights abuses linked to military death squads, and died in September...