The right-wing Keiko Fujimori assumed the presidency of Peru on Tuesday for the 2026-2031 term, after winning the runoff election by a margin of less than 50,000 votes against the communist Roberto Sánchez.
The newly inaugurated president, the first woman to hold the position in the country, arrived at the event after holding meetings with international leaders and delegations present in Lima, including President Javier Milei and eight Latin American heads of state who participated in the official day.
At the closing of the transfer of command ceremony, Fujimori delivered her first Message to the Nation before the Congress hemicycle, where she outlined the priorities of her government.
Keiko Fujimori
The president began her speech with a religious invocation: “I thank God and place in His hands the work we begin today in service of Peru. I ask for wisdom to decide and strength to persevere.”
She then deepened her diagnosis of the country's situation, warning that she receives “a state weakened by corruption, where institutions have ceased to serve the citizens.”
In that vein, she denounced that “in many cases institutions have fallen into the hands of non-transparent interests to obtain benefits and privileges through public contracting and state regulation to the detriment of citizens and free competition.”
The president summarized that scenario with a definition of the current state of the country: “This is the country we receive today: a country with infinite potential but hindered and fragmented by distrust, which has caused a very deep wound in the social fabric.”
Keiko Fujimori with right-wing leaders
Regarding security, Fujimori announced a nationwide strategy to combat crime. In this regard, she stated that her government will work to reclaim “every neighborhood, every road, and every public space” for Peruvian families.
She also specified that during states of emergency, the Armed Forces will temporarily take the lead in operations, in coordination with the National Police, an institution to which she promised to restore “the respect, equipment, and political support it deserves.”
After the Message to the Nation, Fujimori will move to the Government Palace, where she will receive State Honors. Subsequently, she will lead a series of protocol greetings with foreign delegations and participate in a lunch with invited leaders.
In the afternoon, the swearing-in of the Ministerial Cabinet will take place, representing one of the first formal steps of the new administration.
