LIMA: Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru\u2019s president on Tuesday, becoming the latest in a string of conservative leaders elected across Latin America by voters frustrated by crime, weak economic growth and political instability.<\/p>\n
The 51-year-old daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori is Peru\u2019s first-ever elected female head of state. Her victory in June\u2019s presidential runoff marked the return of one of Peru\u2019s most influential and polarizing political dynasties and capped a political comeback after years of failed bids.<\/p>\n
\u201cI assume office with the firmness needed to govern, but also with the sensitivity required to listen to and heal the wounds of our people,\u201d Fujimori said in her first address as president, calling for reconciliation after a close election race marked by allegations of fraud.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must have \u200cthe courage to \u200cface our reality head-on, without anesthesia, without makeup, and without half-truths,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Fujimori will be Peru\u2019s \u200c10th \u2060president since 2016 \u2060following a tumultuous decade in which no leader completed a full five-year term.<\/p>\n
Her election extends a broader rightward shift across Latin America, with a string of recently elected leaders advocating closer ties with the US and tougher policies on crime.<\/p>\n
Fujimori has said there is \u201cvery significant space\u201d for cooperation with the administration of US President Donald Trump and expressed interest in Peru joining the \u201cShield of the Americas,\u201d a regional initiative proposed by Trump to combat transnational crime.<\/p>\n
Washington has made one of its strongest efforts in years to deepen ties with Peru, a major copper and critical minerals producer with strategic Pacific ports, in an effort to counter China\u2019s influence in the region.<\/p>\n
US Deputy \u2060Secretary of State Christopher Landau attended the inauguration and met with Fujimori in Lima \u200cahead of the ceremony, a post by Landau on X showed.<\/p>\n
Argentine President Javier \u200cMilei, Antonio Kast of Chile and Rodrigo Paz of Bolivia were also in attendance.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Fujimori named former central bank board member Elmer \u200cCuba as economy minister and Carlos Espa, a former presidential candidate who also worked for the US embassy in Lima, \u200cas foreign minister.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the president finalized her entire cabinet and tapped former Deputy Minister Guillermo Shinno to lead the Ministry of Energy and Mines.<\/p>\n
Peru is the world\u2019s third-largest copper producer.<\/p>\n
Fujimori said during her speech that she was inheriting a Peru \u201cbattered\u201d by insecurity, poor governance and public distrust, while pledging to cut unnecessary spending, improve the business climate and raise the minimum wage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have come to offer method, discipline, \u200chard work, and a clear roadmap,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Congress, economic challenges<\/p>\n
Fujimori narrowly defeated leftist congressman Roberto Sanchez in one of Peru\u2019s closest elections in modern history. Sanchez has alleged electoral fraud \u2060without providing evidence and has \u2060pledged to lead a left-wing opposition bloc in Congress. Lawmakers from Sanchez\u2019s party walked out of Congress on Tuesday, refusing to listen to Fujimori\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n
Protests against her candidacy drew hundreds of left-wing activists and civil society groups in Lima ahead of the runoff. Demonstrations were planned to coincide with Tuesday\u2019s inauguration.<\/p>\n
Fujimori\u2019s Popular Force party is expected to hold the largest minority bloc in a fragmented Congress, which has returned to a bicameral structure for the first time in three decades.<\/p>\n
In a vote to elect the head of Congress on July 26, the incoming coalition secured the presidency of the Senate, while the opposition won leadership of the body\u2019s lower house, the Chamber of Deputies.<\/p>\n
Maintaining legislative support could prove challenging.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere won\u2019t be much room for a honeymoon period,\u201d said Peruvian political analyst and independent business consultant Jeffrey Radzinsky. \u201cShe has to build confidence among a broad segment of the population that distrusts her, while also meeting high expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peru has remained one of Latin America\u2019s more resilient economies despite years of political upheaval, largely driven by copper exports. The central bank recently raised its 2026 growth forecast to 3.4 percent, citing stronger domestic demand and investment.<\/p>\n
Growth slowed sharply in May as fishing output plunged and agricultural exports weakened, exposing the country\u2019s vulnerability to climate-related shocks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LIMA: Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as Peru\u2019s president on Tuesday, becoming the latest in a string of conservative leaders elected across Latin America by voters frustrated by crime, weak economic growth and political instability. The 51-year-old daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori is Peru\u2019s first-ever elected female head of state. Her victory in June\u2019s …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":100957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100942"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100958,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100942\/revisions\/100958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}