LIMA \u2013 Peru\u2019s Keiko Fujimori is a perennial political loser. She has run for the nation\u2019s presidency three elections in a row \u2014 and three times, she has lost.<\/p>\n
But on this, her fourth attempt, the daughter of disgraced late president Alberto Fujimori is on the verge of winning.<\/p>\n
With almost all the ballots counted, Fujimori held 50.12% of the vote, a margin of just over 43,000 over her leftist rival Roberto Sanchez, according to electoral authorities.<\/p>\n
The 51-year-old came head-to-head with Sanchez in a June 7 runoff, under the still-divisive legacy of her father, who ruled Peru in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
Fujimori\u2019s surname is recognized across the Andean nation, which has had eight presidents since 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a brand that is well positioned, whether you like it or not,\u201d said political scientist Jorge Aragon.<\/p>\n
This fourth attempt \u201cmay be the one that works,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Poised and polished, with a sharp pantsuit and practiced smile, Fujimori looks like someone raised for politics.<\/p>\n
A business administrator educated in the United States, she has served as a lawmaker and leads her party.<\/p>\n
She became first lady at 19, after her mother publicly broke with Alberto Fujimori, and grew up alongside heads of state and foreign leaders.<\/p>\n
Alberto Fujimori led Peru through the turbulent 1990s, crushing Maoist Shining Path rebels and taming hyperinflation.<\/p>\n
But he was later disgraced, exiled and jailed for corruption and crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n
For decades, the Fujimori name has helped and haunted Keiko, giving her instant recognition, loyal voters and deep political networks \u2014 but also plenty of critics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss him,\u201d she said in April. \u201cBut everywhere I go, people remind me of him and tell me anecdotes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Millions of Peruvians hold darker memories of her father and refuse to vote for anyone bearing the Fujimori name, blocking her path to the presidency three times.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the last 25 years, we have been governed by anti-Fujimori governments,\u201d she said, making a single exception for Alan Garcia.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the others focused on insults and generating hatred and division among Peruvians.\u201d<\/p>\n
Critics blame her and her party for much of Peru\u2019s political instability, citing Fuerza Popular\u2019s heavy influence and deal-making in Congress.<\/p>\n
This was her first presidential campaign without her father, who died in 2024.<\/p>\n
With crime now the top concern for voters, she leaned into his legacy under a single word: \u201corder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe Peruvians want a Fujimori,\u201d she said. \u201cHere I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those close to Fujimori describe her as persistent, disciplined and relentless.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery blow life has dealt her has not broken her, it has made her stronger than anyone could imagine,\u201d said her vice-presidential running mate Miki Torres.<\/p>\n
She spent more than a year in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LIMA \u2013 Peru\u2019s Keiko Fujimori is a perennial political loser. She has run for the nation\u2019s presidency three…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[177,179,19232,7405,180,178],"class_list":["post-46784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics","tag-japans-politics","tag-japanese-politics","tag-keiko-fujimori","tag-peru","tag-politics","tag-politics-of-japan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}