Keiko Fujimori has taken charge as Peru’s new president, becoming the country’s first female head of state. Her inauguration on July 28 coincides with Peru’s 205th anniversary of independence and marks the end of a period of intense political volatility that saw nine presidents in ten years.
Fujimori was formally declared president-elect on July 4 after nearly a month of vote counting and legal challenges. She defeated candidate Roberto Sanchez by a narrow margin of 50.1% to 49.8% in one of the most polarized elections in the nation's history. Her victory was propelled by strong support in Lima and among Peruvians living abroad, while Sanchez drew massive backing from the impoverished southern Andes.
Peru has had nine presidents in the last 10 years, a cycle of instability beginning with Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s resignation in 2018.
The Chancay Port and China Ties
A central feature of Fujimori’s geopolitical landscape is the Chancay port, a $3.5 billion project part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Once fully operational, the port is expected to reduce shipping time between Peru and China from about 40 to 23 days. China has become Peru’s most important trading partner, with bilateral trade exceeding $40 billion in 2024.
Nowhere is the competition between Beijing and Washington as evident as in Peru.
The port is also part of a planned 'bioceanic' corridor connecting Brazil and Peru via rail and road projects to the Atlantic Ocean. Michael Shifter noted that the infrastructure will reduce transportation costs and facilitate trade with Asia, particularly China, adding that the project has enormous potential for the future of the South American economy.
Balancing US Security Cooperation
While economic ties with China deepen, Fujimori has announced plans to expand cooperation with the United States, specifically in security and the fight against organized crime. The US remains Peru’s second-largest trading partner, with nearly $25 billion in trade. Fujimori’s participation in the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative, launched by Donald Trump, is considered key to this relationship.
The initiative has already secured cooperation from Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and El Salvador. According to Shifter, involvement in the 'Shield of the Americas' would demonstrate closeness to the Trump administration. However, he cautioned that balancing this relationship with Beijing will not be easy.
A break with Beijing would not be realistic.
Political scientist Carlin stated that Fujimori aims to align more closely with the US and other conservative governments. Foreign policy is expected to be a major challenge for her administration as it navigates these competing interests.
Political Background and Instability
Fujimori’s rise comes amid a broader conservative momentum in Latin America, alongside leaders such as Nayib Bukele, Javier Milei, and Daniel Noboa. Shifter observed that while it is tempting to interpret her victory as another shift to the right, Peru’s political reality is more complex. Her economic promises have reassured international markets, unlocking delayed mining investments in Peru, the world’s third-largest copper producer.
The political environment has changed structurally as well. Peru’s Congress has transitioned from a unicameral assembly to a bicameral legislature, reinstating a 60-seat Senate for the first time since 1992. Impeachment of the president now requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Fujimori’s party, Fuerza Popular, and Sanchez’s Juntos por el Peru will divide power across both chambers.
Fujimori, 51, has been a dominant figure in Peruvian politics for decades. Born Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi in Lima in 1975, she became First Lady at age 19 after her parents’ separation. Her father, former President Alberto Fujimori, served 25 years in prison for corruption and human rights violations. Keiko Fujimori broke with her brother Kenji when he sought a political deal for their father’s pardon.
She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Boston University and an MBA from Columbia University. After entering Congress in 2006 with a record 602,869 individual votes, she founded Fuerza Popular in 2009. Her path to the presidency included three previous losses: to Ollanta Humala in 2011, to Pedro Pablo Kuczynski by 41,000 votes in 2016, and to Pedro Castillo in 2021. She also spent 13 months in pre-trial detention on allegations of illicit campaign financing linked to Odebrecht, charges she denies.
International dignitaries, including King Felipe VI of Spain and eight Latin American heads of state, are gathering in Lima for the swearing-in ceremony. Fujimori ran on a platform of public safety, organized crime crackdowns, and free-market revival, seeking to stabilize a country where interim presidents Manuel Merino and Francisco Sagasti briefly held office between the impeachments of Martin Vizcarra, Pedro Castillo, and Dina Boluarte.