Keiko Fujimori was 19 years old when she made her international debut at a 1994 event as Peru’s first lady.
Dressed in black, the young woman appeared shy and nervous in front of the cameras on the arm of her father, then-President Alberto Fujimori, at the first Summit of the Americas hosted by US President Bill Clinton.
Keiko Fujimori assumed the role after her mother, the late Susana Higuchi, separated from her father following her public denunciation of corruption in his government regarding the handling of international donations. It marked the beginning of Fujimori’s political life.
This Sunday, at the age of 51, the eldest daughter of Peru’s late former president will make her fourth attempt at winning the presidency in a runoff election, despite three consecutive defeats in 2011, 2016 and 2021.
She is facing the leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez, and may be better positioned to win this time, with a slight lead predicted by some pollsters.
Fujimori insists she offers the best alternative to restore security to Peruvians and rescue the country, which has been beset by a constant state of political and institutional crisis that has resulted in eight presidents over the past ten years, and exacerbated by corruption scandals and rising crime and insecurity.
“I know that this election is not about me, but about the kind of government and the direction we want for the next five years. Either we want chaos and disorder, or we restore order and work for the future of our country,” Fujimori added.
The heir to Fujimorism became a congresswoman in 2000, founded Fuerza Popular (Popular Force) party, and spent 13 months in prison while under investigation for corruption and allegedly receiving money from the Odebrecht construction company to finance her presidential campaigns — a charge she has repeatedly denied.
In January 2025, a court declared the case against her null and void. Fujimori claims she endured ten years of political persecution.
Credit: aljazeera.com
