Keiko Fujimori is inaugurated as Peru's president following a narrow election victory

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Conservative leader Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru’s president on Tuesday after winning the June presidential runoff by a margin of fewer than 50,000 votes, a victory that confirmed a regional shift in South America toward the conservative wing.With the ceremony, Fujimori, a four-time presidential candidate and leader of Peru's largest political party, takes office as the country's ninth president in a decade. The 51-year-old is hoping to stabilize Peru's turbulent politics, reduce crime and boost economic growth.Over the past decade, only three of Peru’s presidents have been elected by popular vote. The rest have come into office after their predecessors resigned or were removed by congress amid protests or corruption scandals.Fujimori’s Popular Force party and its main ally, Popular Renovation, will hold half the senate seats once the new legislature is installed, making it harder for opposing legislators to attempt to remove her as president.An incoming president with a political past and promises for the futureFujimori centered her campaign around promises to improve security in a nation where extortion rackets have become a significant problem.

She has also promised to develop infrastructure by making it easier for government agencies to form partnerships with private investors.She is the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who led the country in the 1990s and stabilized its economy while defeating terror groups, but was later imprisoned for human rights abuses committed under his rule by the Peruvian military as his government took an authoritarian turn. He was pardoned in December 2023 and died in September the following year.During her campaign, Keiko Fujimori pledged to fight crime with an “iron fist,” implementing some policies adopted by Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele, and also build a megaprison modeled after the notorious Cecot penitentiary in El Salvador.To guarantee judges their safety, she has said she will implement reforms to enable them to hide their identities as they oversee criminal trials.She also said on Tuesday she would reorganize social services to fight malnutrition in rural communities and announced a 15% increase in the nation's minimum wage.Fujimori said that the nation's military will “temporarily” lead security operations in crime afflicted areas. And she also said she will focus on prep…

The 51-year-old daughter of the late former President Alberto Fujimori, Peru's new conservative leader has pledged to fight crime with an "iron fist."(Image credit: Martin Mejia) Fujimori takes office promising an iron-fisted crackdown on crime, as critics fear a return to her father's tactics. The Popular Force leader becomes Peru's first female president, returning Fujimorism to power after 26 years.

She is due to deliver her inaugural address and unveil her cabinet. King Felipe VI attended the ceremony in Lima. Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru’s ninth president in a decade at an official ceremony in Lima on Tuesday.

The conservative 51-year-old won June’s run-off by fewer than 50,000 votes and will govern until 2031. Fujimori, the daughter of a former president jailed for human rights abuses, will become Peru’s ninth president in a decade. The 51-year-old is hoping to stabilise the country’s turbulent politics.

Over the past decade, only three of Peru’s presidents have been elected by popular vote.... The 51-year-old is hoping to stabilize its turbulent politics, while reducing crime and boosting economic growth.Over the past decade, only three of Peru’s presidents have been elected by popular vote. She said she would build a megaprison modeled after the notorious Cecot penitentiary in El Salvador, and will enable judges to hide their identities as they oversee criminal trials in an effort to guarantee their safety.Opposition leaders have asked Fujimori’s incoming government to reverse a series of laws approved by Peru’s last legislature which critics say weaken efforts to fight organized crime.The laws eliminate preventive arrests and stop prosecutors from processing political parties involved in corruption under the same statutes as criminal groups.