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Keiko Fujimori

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Keiko Fujimori
Fujimori in 2026
67th President of Peru
Assumed office
28 July 2026
Prime MinisterLuis Galarreta
Vice President
  • First Vice President
    Luis Galarreta
  • Second Vice President
    Miki Torres
Preceded byJosé María Balcázar
First Lady of Peru
In role
23 August 1994 – 22 November 2000
PresidentAlberto Fujimori
Preceded bySusana Higuchi
Succeeded byNilda Jara
Member of Congress
In office
27 July 2006 – 26 July 2011
ConstituencyLima
President of Popular Force
Assumed office
22 July 2009
Secretary-General
See list
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born
Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi

(1975-05-25) 25 May 1975 (age 51)
Jesús María, Lima, Peru
CitizenshipPeru • Japan • United States
Political partyPopular Force (2010–present)
Spouse(s)
Mark Villanella
​
​
(m. 2004; div. 2022)​
Children2
MotherSusana Higuchi
FatherAlberto Fujimori
RelativesKenji Fujimori (brother)
Santiago Fujimori (uncle)
EducationStony Brook University
Boston University (BS)
Columbia University (MBA)
Signature

Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi (es; born 25 May 1975) is a Peruvian politician who has been the 67th President of Peru since 2026. She has been the leader of Popular Force, a right-wing political party since 2009. She is the oldest daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori and Susana Higuchi. While her father was president, Fujimori was the First Lady of Peru from 1994 to 2000. She was also a Member of Congress from 2006 to 2011.

Fujimori is seen as one of the most controversial and influential politicians in the country.[1][2] Fujimori has been seen as having conservative[3] and far-right political views.[4] Fujimori ran for president four times: in 2011, 2016, 2021, and in 2026. She is the first woman to be elected president of Peru.[5]

Early life

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Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi was born on 25 May 1975 in the Jesús María district of Lima, the capital of Peru.[6][7] Her father is former President of Peru Alberto Fujimori, who was elected in 1990, and her mother is Susana Higuchi.[8]

Fujimori graduated from secondary school and travelled to the United States in 1993 to get a bachelor's degree in Business Administration at Stony Brook University.[9] She would go on to graduate from the university in May 1997. She moved to the United States in 2002 to focus on her business career, studying for a Master of Business Administration at Columbia University. While in New York, she met Mark Vito Villanella and married him in a wedding in 2004. They had two children.

Political career

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After her parents began having marriage problems, Fujimori became the First Lady of Peru at the age of 19 in August 1994, holding the role until her father's resignation and flight from the country in November 2000.[10] After the arrest and imprisonment of her father for his conviction of corruption and human rights violations, she became the leader of Fujimorism while supporting for his release.

As a member of Alliance for the Future, she was elected as congresswoman representing the Lima Metropolitan Area, from 2006 to 2011. After having disagreements with Fujimorists, she eventually founded the Popular Force, a political party in 2010 and has been their leader since its creation. In the 2016 election, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was elected president, but Fujimori's party won a majority in the Congress of Peru.[11] For the next ten years, the Fujimorist-led Congress and their allies have helped remove multiple presidents from office.[12][13]

2021 presidential campaign

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After a few months out of politics, on 25 September 2020, she announced her total return to politics.[14] A month later, 30 November, still under investigation by the Operation Car Wash team, she tweeted that she was officially announcing her candidacy as the Fuerza Popular's presidential candidate.[15] Fujimori's party helped lead the controversial removal of Martín Vizcarra and his replacement by Manuel Merino,[16] which caused the 2020 Peruvian protests. The protests were violently put down, with two college students being killed.[17] On 9 December, she won the internal party elections to become Fuerza Popular's candidate for the 2021 election.[18]

Throughout the presidential campaign, she was among the frontrunners in opinion polling.[19] She advanced to the run-off and would face off against Pedro Castillo.[20] After Castillo took the lead in the run-off, Fujimori said that the results were because of election fraud.[21][22] She said she would support the results being overturned with some comparing her comments by U.S. President Donald Trump in his attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.[23][24][25] Castillo would go on to beat Fujimori by a small margin.

2026 presidential campaign

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After her money-laundering case was dismissed by the Constitutional Court,[26] Fujimori formally announced her presidential candidacy days later on 30 October 2025, with Galarreta and former Congressman Miki Torres being named her running mates.[27][28]

Fujimori finished in first place with 17.18% of the vote in the first round held in April 2026, advancing to the runoff against congressman Roberto Sánchez of the left-wing Together for Peru.[29][30][31] On 24 June 2026, the electoral court said they will not annul the voters abroad votes, which Sánchez accused of being fraudulent.[32] The voter abroad votes is widely seen what helped give Fujimori the victory.[32] On 29 June, after 100% of the votes were counted, Fujimori was declared the winner of the election.[33][34] She won with 50.13% of the vote against Sánchez's 49.87%.[34]

After her victory, Sánchez refused to say that he lost the election and said there was voter fraud in the election.[33] Fujimori is the first woman to be elected president of Peru.[5]

Presidency

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Fujimori was inaugurated on 28 July 2026 in Lima.[35] She became Peru's 10th president since 2016 and the country’s first female elected president.[35]

Controversies

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Fujimori was said to be involved in the Odebrecht scandal[36] and was arrested in Peru on 10 October 2018. She was sent to jail for money laundering, though Fujimorists in Congress changed laws which allowed judges dismiss cases against her.[37]

From 2021 to 2025, she also stood trial in the Cocktails Case for allegations of money laundering,[38] though the Constitutional Court of Peru dismissed the case.

References

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  1. ↑ "Thousands in Peru protest Fujimori presidential run". Al Jazeera. 31 May 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-03. Keiko Fujimori – the daughter of disgraced leader Alberto Fujimori. The four-time candidate is Peru's most controversial figure.
  2. ↑ Maguina, Mariel Yacolca (1 December 2021). "Meet keiko fujimori, Peru's veteran of corruption". McGill International Review. Keiko Fujimori ... the most controversial of Peruvian political figures.
  3. ↑ Multiple sources - Villegas, Alexander; Aquino, Marco (2026-06-11). "Fujimori edges back into lead in Peru's knife-edge election". Internazionale. Reuters. - Ros, Carla Samon (31 May 2026). "Peru's Fujimori Holds Narrow Lead Over Sánchez Ahead Of Runoff". Bloomberg. - Taj, Mitra; Glatsky, Genevieve (17 May 2026). "Runoff in Peru Offers Two Starkly Differing Visions for the Nation". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ Multiple sources:
  5. 1 2 "Keiko Fujimori's expected victory returns divisive dynasty to Peru". MSN. June 25, 2026. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  6. ↑ Salvador, Susana (28 January 2016). "Keiko quer afastar a sombra do apelido Fujimori e chegar à presidência". dn.pt (in Portuguese). Diário de Notícias. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi". Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (Perú) (in Spanish). Infogob. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  8. ↑ "Alberto Fujimori profile: Deeply divisive Peruvian leader". BBC News. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "Keiko Fujimori pagaba estudios al "cash"" (in Spanish). La República. 30 May 2009. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "She was a first lady at 19. Now she's making her fourth attempt to win Peru's presidency". MSN. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  11. ↑ G.O, Administrator (2016-06-15). "Can New President Lead a Divided Peru?". IPI Global Observatory. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  12. ↑ Tegel, Simeon (2026-04-12). "10 presidents in 10 years: Peru's leaders don't last. Voters will try again". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  13. ↑ Cassinelli, Martin (2025-10-27). "Peru at a breaking point: How ten years of political chaos opened the door to organized crime". Atlantic Council. Archived from the original on 19 April 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-03. Beginning in 2016, a Congress dominated by the fujimorismo movement began to abuse its oversight powers, engaging in what legal scholars term 'constitutional hardball'—exploiting procedural rules to turn impeachment into a tool for political leverage rather than accountability, as seen during the impeachments of Boluarte and former President Martín Vizcarra
  14. ↑ Acosta, Sebastián (25 September 2020). "Elecciones 2021: Keiko Fujimori anunció su "retorno 100% activo" a Fuerza Popular". RPP (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  15. ↑ "Keiko Fujimori oficializó su precandidatura presidencial en comicios internos de Fuerza Popular". Gestión (in Spanish). 31 October 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  16. ↑ "Perú afronta nueva crisis tras vacancia de presidente Vizcarra aprobada por el Congreso". Ojo Público (in Spanish). 9 November 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  17. ↑ Pereyra Colchado, Gladys (15 November 2020). "Jack Bryan Pintado Sánchez y Jordan Inti Sotelo Camargo, los dos jóvenes que salieron a protestar y que merecen justicia". El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  18. ↑ "Arranca la campaña presidencial en Perú con Keiko Fujimori y Ollanta Humala entre los 23 candidatos". clarin.com (in Spanish). 9 December 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  19. ↑ Aquino, Marco (18 January 2021). "Peru's Keiko Fujimori says would pardon father if elected president". Reuters. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  20. ↑ Aquino, Marco (13 April 2021). "Peru's Fujimori says election battle between 'markets and Marxism'". Reuters. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  21. ↑ Collyns, Dan (8 June 2021). "Peru elections: Fujimori's fraud claims criticised as rival's narrow lead widens". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  22. ↑ "Keiko Fujimori alleges fraud in tight Peru election". France 24. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  23. ↑ "Peru: Fujimori cries electoral fraud – and unleashes torrent of racism". The Guardian. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  24. ↑ "With election fraud claims, Peru's Keiko Fujimori takes a page from the Trump playbook. She's not alone". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  25. ↑ Applebaum, Anne (17 June 2021). "Democracy Is Surprisingly Easy to Undermine". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  26. ↑ "Peru's Constitutional Court Dismisses Legal Proceedings Against Keiko Fujimori". Radio Rebelde. 20 October 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  27. ↑ "Keiko Fujimori lanzará candidatura presidencial para 2026 en Perú, anuncia congresista partidario". Associated Press (in Spanish). 30 October 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  28. ↑ "Peru's Keiko Fujimori announces fourth bid for presidency". Reuters. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  29. ↑ Ros, Carla Samon (14 May 2026). "Leftist Sánchez to Take On Fujimori in Peru's Presidential Runoff". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  30. ↑ Briceño, Franklin; Cano, Regina Garcia (16 May 2026). "A political dynasty heiress and a former trade minister advance to Peru's presidential runoff". Associated Press. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  31. ↑ Taj, Mitra; Glatsky, Genevieve (17 May 2026). "Runoff in Peru Offers Two Starkly Differing Visions for the Nation". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  32. 1 2 "Tribunal rejects vote challenge in Peru, clearing path for Fujimori victory". Miami Herald. 29 June 2026. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  33. 1 2 "Keiko Fujimori secures victory in Peru's presidential election after taking an unassailable lead". El Pais. 25 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  34. 1 2 "Fujimori Narrowly Wins Peru Presidential Vote on Her Fourth Bid". Bloomberg. June 29, 2026. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  35. 1 2 "Peru's Fujimori takes power, extending Latin America's rightward tilt". Reuters. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  36. ↑ "MEGAPOST: Cronología de las notas de Marcelo Odebrecht sobre Keiko Fujimori". Útero.Pe. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  37. ↑ Baraybar, Viviana; Gonzalez-Ocantos, Ezequiel (2022). The Limits of Judicialization: From Progress to Backlash in Latin America. Cambridge University Press. pp. 314–340.
  38. ↑ Paucar, Luis (2024-01-25). "Keiko Fujimori en el banquillo: el 1 de julio del 2024 inicia juicio por caso Cócteles, donde Fiscalía pide 30 años de cárcel". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-06-23.

Other websites

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