Between the weight of a surname and the conquest of power: Keiko Fujimori, the right-wing leader who aspires to the presidency of Peru

If in politics there is reward before the fire of insistence, Keiko Fujimori seems irremediably destined to become at some point president of Peru, thus taking the reins of a country characterized by political instability convulsive enough to stand out even within the already lamentable Latin American standards.

The eldest daughter of autocrat Alberto Fujimori, who forever marked Peru's history during his ten years in office between 1990 and 2000, the presidential candidate of the right-wing Popular Force party will try to win this Sunday's presidential elections in her fourth attempt, after being defeated by slim margins in the 2011, 2016 and 2021 elections. In a context of strong polarization, Keiko Fujimori is promoting a government plan called "Peru with Order", a proposal for the period 2026-2031 based on three main axes: the use of new technologies to combat insecurity, economic growth and social development.

Born in the city of Lima in 1975, Fujimori entered public life in 1994 when she became first lady after assuming the protocol title that her mother had held after separating from her father, and later, in 2006, she was elected congresswoman for Metropolitan Lima. The right-wing leader had studied Business Administration in the United States and later obtained a master's degree at Columbia Business School of Columbia University. A profile that, although it seemed to point to the cold world of business and finance, was actually oriented towards the volcanic microcosm of Peruvian politics to one day occupy once again the House of Pizarro.

Fujimori managed to found and head Fuerza Popular since 2010, and from that moment began to develop one of the broadest political organizations in the Andean country, to the point of eventually becoming one of the most powerful and influential forces within the fearsome Peruvian Congress, which has shown on numerous occasions its facility to remove presidents. And although the right-wing candidate has been facing different types of judicial processes over the last few years, the Judicial Power ordered the definitive closure of several of the cases against her -related to alleged illicit contributions linked to the Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht-, giving her the green light to participate in her fourth presidential election without having firm convictions against her.

To win the presidency, Fujimori will have to defeat leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez, in an electoral contest that, according to several polls, is currently in a technical tie, in what seems to be the clearest opportunity for a figure whose legacy from the past will continue to be part of his present and future. For better or worse.