Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi

Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi is a Peruvian politician and the president of Fuerza Popular, the right-wing party she has led since 2010. She is one of Peru’s most prominent and polarising political figures.

Political career

Keiko Fujimori was born in 1975 in Lima, the eldest daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori and Susana Higuchi. She studied business administration in the United States, graduating from Boston University in 1997. Her early public visibility came during her father’s presidency (1990–2000), when she served as First Lady of Peru from 1994 to 2000 after her parents separated.

Her formal political career began in the early 2000s. In 2006, she was elected to the Congress of the Republic as one of the best-known candidates on the Fujimorista ticket. She served as member of Congress from 2006 to 2011, building a national profile as the central political heir of the Fujimori brand. During that period she combined parliamentary work with party-building, helping to consolidate the movement that later became Fuerza Popular.

In 2010, she assumed the presidency of Fuerza Popular, the post she still holds. Under her leadership, the party was rebranded and reorganised from the earlier fujimorista political apparatus into a more disciplined electoral machine with a strong congressional base. Her leadership style has been strongly associated with centralised decision-making and high party cohesion.

She first ran for president in 2011, reaching the second round and narrowly losing to Ollanta Humala. She returned as candidate in 2016, again reaching the runoff, this time losing to Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in one of the closest elections in recent Peruvian history. She ran again in 2021, once more making the second round before losing to Pedro Castillo. She remains the dominant figure in the party and was listed as a presidential candidate for 2026, underscoring her continuing role in national politics.

Relationship with the public

Keiko Fujimori’s relationship with the electorate has been durable but deeply divided. She has built a loyal base among voters who associate the Fujimori name with authoritarian order, economic stability, and a hard line on crime and insurgency. This support is especially strong in parts of the urban and peri-urban electorate, and among citizens who view the 1990s as a period of state effectiveness.

At the same time, she provokes strong rejection from other sectors of society, including many human rights advocates, progressive groups, parts of the middle class, and citizens who associate the Fujimori legacy with corruption and abuses of power. Her campaigns have repeatedly mobilised both enthusiastic support and intense anti-Fujimori sentiment, making her one of the most polarising figures in modern Peruvian politics.

Her relationship with the media has also been contentious. She has had sustained visibility in the press for nearly three decades, but coverage has often focused on the Fujimori family’s legacy, intra-party control, and repeated electoral defeats. She is a highly recognisable politician, capable of dominating political debate, though not always able to broaden her appeal beyond her core constituency.

Positions and political profile

Keiko Fujimori is generally identified with conservatism, law-and-order politics, market-friendly economics, and a strong state response to insecurity. She has defended private investment, fiscal responsibility, and business confidence as pillars of growth, while presenting herself as a pragmatist on social policy. Her political style emphasises order, discipline, and state authority rather than ideological innovation.

Inside Fuerza Popular, she is seen as the indispensable leader and organiser of the movement. Her authority has been central to the party’s cohesion in Congress and its long-term survival. Outside the party, critics often describe her as the continuation of the Fujimori political project, with its emphasis on presidential strength, centralised leadership, and electoral machine politics.

Several moments define her public profile. Her 2006 entry into Congress marked her transition from family figure to national politician. Her 2011, 2016 and 2021 presidential bids established her as Peru’s main right-wing presidential contender for over a decade. Her repeated near-victories also made her a permanent reference point in national coalition politics, even when she was out of office.

Her politics are often read through the lens of the broader Fujimorismo tradition: support for security-focused governance, scepticism towards radical reform, and a readiness to confront political opponents aggressively. She is also associated with legislative confrontation during periods when Fuerza Popular held a strong congressional bloc, which reinforced her reputation as a hard-edged, highly disciplined political operator.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Keiko Fujimori? She is a Peruvian politician, the leader of Fuerza Popular, and one of the country’s most prominent opposition figures, having run for president four times.

What party does Keiko Fujimori lead? She leads Fuerza Popular (FP), the party that emerged from the broader Fujimori political movement and is commonly associated with fujimorismo.

Has Keiko Fujimori held public office? Yes. She served as a member of Congress from 2006 to 2011 and has led Fuerza Popular since 2010.

How many times has Keiko Fujimori run for president? She has been the presidential candidate in 2011, 2016, 2021 and 2026.

Why is Keiko Fujimori controversial? She is controversial because she is closely linked to the Fujimori legacy, which combines memories of economic stabilisation and security policy with strong criticism over authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses.

What is Keiko Fujimori’s political ideology? She is generally associated with centre-right to right-wing politics, especially pro-business policies, conservative values, and a strong emphasis on public order and state authority.