Peru’s conservative leader Keiko Fujimori has won the country’s presidential election by a razor-thin margin, vowing to restore “order and hope” as she prepares to lead a nation grappling with organised crime and prolonged political instability.
Final election results showed Fujimori, 51, defeated leftist rival Roberto Sanchez by fewer than 50,000 votes from more than 18 million ballots cast in the 7 June runoff.
Following the announcement, Fujimori said the country was moving towards “the path of order and hope for all Peruvians.” She secured the presidency on her fourth attempt.
Her victory returns the Fujimori name to Peru’s presidential palace more than two decades after the fall of her father, Alberto Fujimori. His legacy remains deeply divisive.
While many credit him with defeating Maoist insurgents and curbing hyperinflation during his presidency from 1990 to 2000, he was later imprisoned for corruption and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s anti-terrorism campaign.
Fujimori now faces the challenge of governing a country struggling with powerful organised crime groups and chronic political instability. Peru has had eight presidents over the past decade.
The election campaign centred largely on rising crime and political uncertainty. As extortion rackets and contract killings continue to increase, Fujimori pledged to adopt a firm approach to law and order, drawing comparisons with her father’s hardline policies.
“She will govern well because she has good proposals. She has good ideas for doing something for Peru,” Lima street vendor Jenny Martinez, 40, said.
Ricardo Valdes, director of the Observatory on Crime and Violence, said Peru urgently needs results but warned that meaningful progress would take time.
Leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez had not responded to the official result at the time of the announcement. Although he briefly led the vote count, Fujimori later overtook him. Sanchez had previously said he would not recognise a government led by Fujimori, alleging administrative irregularities in the handling of overseas votes.
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz congratulated Fujimori, saying Peru had opened “a new chapter” after the election.
Fujimori will be sworn in on 28 July for a five-year term.
She becomes the latest conservative leader to win power in Latin America amid growing public concern over crime, joining recent right-leaning governments in Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile.
Acknowledging the country’s divisions, Fujimori said her administration would remain open to dialogue with all political groups, including the opposition.
“We have the responsibility of listening to both sides. The doors for dialogue are open,” she said.
During the campaign, Fujimori sought to soften her long-standing confrontational image. Raised around political leaders, she became Peru’s first lady at the age of 19 after her mother publicly separated from Alberto Fujimori. She later studied business administration in the United States.
The Fujimori family name has long been both a political advantage and a liability. It has provided Keiko Fujimori with strong name recognition, a loyal support base and an established political network. At the same time, many Peruvians remain unwilling to support anyone carrying the Fujimori name because of memories of her father’s rule, contributing to her defeats in three previous presidential bids.
Critics also hold Fujimori and her Fuerza Popular party partly responsible for Peru’s prolonged political instability, citing the party’s influence and political manoeuvring in Congress.
