Keiko Fujimori declared winner of Peru presidential runoff election

Keiko Fujimori declared winner of Peru presidential runoff election

Conservative politician Keiko Fujimori was declared the winner of Peru's presidential runoff election on Friday, July 3, 2026. The 51-year-old candidate, representing the Popular Force party, will become the first elected female president in the country's history.

The victory comes after a weeks-long vote count in a deeply polarized nation. According to the National Office of Electoral Processes, Fujimori won the June 7 runoff by a razor-thin margin, edging out nationalist Congressman Roberto Sánchez of Together for Peru by 49,641 ballots out of approximately 18 million cast. The final figures show Fujimori received 9,223,000 votes, or 50.135%, while Sánchez earned over 9,173,000 votes, or 49.865%.

This win marks Fujimori's fourth bid for the presidency, following unsuccessful campaigns in 2011, 2016, and 2021. Both she and Sánchez advanced to the June runoff after defeating 33 other candidates in April.

Fujimori will be sworn in on July 28, 2026, replacing interim president José María Balcázar. She is expected to serve a five-year term with Luis Fernando Galarreta as first vice-president and Miguel Ángel Torres Morales as second vice-president. Her ascent makes her the ninth president of Peru in 10 years, a reflection of chronic political instability that critics partly attribute to the influence and deal-making of her party, Fuerza Popular, in congress.

The election was fought largely on the issue of surging crime and the rise of violent organized crime gangs specializing in extortion. Fujimori pledged to combat these threats with an iron fist. Her specific proposals include the construction of four new prisons and another facility similar to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), where prisoners would be forced to work. Additionally, she announced plans to deport undocumented migrants and militarize borders to curb crime.

Fujimori is the daughter of the late Alberto Fujimori, whose legacy remains divisive. While the former president was praised for defeating the Shining Path extremist rebel group and taming hyperinflation in the 1990s, his government took an authoritarian turn. He was convicted in 2009 of corruption and human rights abuses and was later the subject of a controversial pardon in 2023.

Following the official proclamation on Friday, Fujimori used the platform X to thank her supporters and describe the victory as the start of a new chapter.

"I receive with profound gratitude the trust that millions of Peruvians have placed in me. A new stage begins. We assume it with responsibility, humility, and a deep sense of duty,"

Keiko Fujimori, President-elect, via X

She further wrote that each day of the transition is an opportunity to listen, engage in dialogue, and arrive prepared at the start of the new government, adding that the nation is moving toward order and hope.

The result has not been accepted by all. Roberto Sánchez previously stated he would not recognize a government led by Fujimori. Following the final tally, Sánchez alleged administrative irregularities regarding the overseas vote and stated his intention to appeal to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). However, Peru's National Jury of Elections rejected an appeal filed by Together for Peru, stating a review found no such inconsistencies.

Internationally, the victory is seen as part of a regional shift toward conservatism, aligning Peru with recent wins by José Antonio Kast in Chile and Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia. This contrasts with previous decades that saw the rise of left-wing leaders like Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and the current Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

On Tuesday, July 1, 2026, the U.S. State Department congratulated the president-elect. In a statement, the Trump administration said it looks forward to deepening collaboration with the Fujimori administration to advance security cooperation and to strengthen bilateral cooperation on investment and trade in our region.