Keiko Fujimori facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Her Excellency Keiko Fujimori
Fujimori in July 2026
President of Peru
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 July 2026
Preceded by	José María Balcázar
President of Popular Force
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 July 2009
Secretary-General	See list Jaime Yoshiyama Joaquín Ramírez José Chlimper Luz Salgado Luis Galarreta
Preceded by	Position established
Member of Congress
In office 27 July 2006 – 26 July 2011
Constituency	Lima
First Lady of Peru
In role 23 August 1994 – 22 November 2000
President	Alberto Fujimori
Preceded by	Susana Higuchi
Succeeded by	Nilda Jara
Personal details
Born	Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi (1975-05-25) 25 May 1975 (age 51) Jesús María, Lima, Peru
Political party	Popular Force (2010–present)
Spouse	Mark Villanella ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2022)​
Children	2
Parents	Alberto Fujimori (father) Susana Higuchi (mother)
Relatives	Kenji Fujimori (brother) Santiago Fujimori (uncle)
Education	Stony Brook University Boston University (BS) Columbia University (MBA)
Signature

Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi (born May 25, 1975) is a Peruvian politician. She has been the President of Peru since 2026. Keiko is the eldest daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori. She leads the Popular Force party, a political movement linked to her father.

Keiko Fujimori served as First Lady of Peru from 1994 to 2000. She was also a member of the Peruvian Congress for Lima from 2006 to 2011. After running for president three times and losing, she won the election in 2026. She is the first woman to be elected President of Peru.

Born in Lima, Keiko became First Lady when she was 19 years old. This happened in 1994 after her parents separated. She held this important role until her father's government ended in 2000. She studied business administration in the United States. She attended Stony Brook University, Boston University, and Columbia University.

Keiko Fujimori started her political career in 2006. She won a seat in Congress with many votes. In 2010, she took over the party she now leads, which is called Popular Force. She ran for president in 2011, 2016, and 2021, but lost closely each time. In 2026, she won the presidency, defeating Roberto Sánchez.

Growing Up and Schooling

Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi was born in Jesús María, Lima, Peru, on May 25, 1975. Her family has Japanese roots. She is the oldest of four children of Alberto Fujimori and Susana Higuchi. Her younger brother, Kenji Fujimori, also became a congressman. The name "Keiko" means "blessed child" in Japanese.

Keiko and her siblings went to Colegio Sagrados Corazones Recoleta, a Catholic school in Lima. Her father became president of Peru in 1990 and served until 2000. During his time, there were big political changes in the country. Keiko has said her father's government was very good for Peru.

In 1993, after finishing high school, Keiko moved to the United States. She studied business administration at Stony Brook University. She later graduated from Boston University in May 1997.

Early Political Roles

Becoming First Lady

In 1994, Keiko's studies were paused when her parents separated. Her mother, Susana Higuchi, stepped down from her role as First Lady of Peru. Keiko, at just 19 years old, took on this important position on August 23, 1994. She became the youngest First Lady in the Americas.

As First Lady, Keiko led the Foundation for the Children of Peru. She also started a charity that helped children get heart surgery. Early on, she expressed a dream of becoming Peru's first woman president. Her parents divorced in 1996.

Keiko campaigned for her father in the 1995 and 2000 elections. In November 2000, her father resigned from the presidency during a time of political challenges. Keiko left the Government Palace on November 21, 2000.

Further Education and Marriage

In 2002, Keiko moved back to the United States. She studied for a master's degree in business administration at Columbia University. She also started working and focused on her personal life. In 2004, she married Mark Vito Villanella in Lima. They later returned to New York.

Serving in Congress

Fujimori in 2010

In 2005, Keiko Fujimori returned to Peru from the United States. She decided to run for office. Her father was not able to run in the 2006 Peruvian general election. So, his supporters formed the Alliance for the Future. Keiko, then 31, led their list for Congress in Lima.

She was elected with a record number of votes. This was the highest total for any candidate nationwide at that time. Keiko believed her success was due to public support for her father.

From 2006 to 2011, Keiko served in the Peruvian Congress. She led the group of politicians who supported her father's ideas. She focused on laws related to public safety. She also worked to make punishments tougher for repeat offenders.

During her time in Congress, she introduced about 20 bills, and six of them became law. In 2008, she started a new party called Force 2011. This party was later renamed Popular Force. It aimed to unite her father's supporters for her presidential campaign in 2011.

Presidential Campaigns and Election

Keiko Fujimori ran for president in four elections. These were in 2011, 2016, 2021, and 2026. She is the only candidate in modern Peruvian history to reach four presidential runoffs. She lost the first three elections by small margins. However, she won in 2026, becoming the first woman elected president of Peru. This brought her political movement back to power after 25 years.

A mural in support of Fujimori during the 2011 general election.

In 2011, she ran for the newly formed Force 2011 party. She talked about her father's work against challenges to public safety and economic problems. She placed second in the first round. She then lost the runoff election to Ollanta Humala.

In 2016, she ran again. She promised to avoid authoritarian practices. She won the first round with about 40% of the votes. Her party also won many seats in Congress. However, she lost the runoff election to Pedro Pablo Kuczynski by a very small number of votes.

In 2021, she ran for president for the third time. She promised to pardon her father if elected. She focused on a strong approach to crime. She advanced from the first round with 13.4% of the votes. She then lost the runoff election to Pedro Castillo by a close margin. After the election, she questioned the results.

In October 2025, a legal case against her was closed. Days later, she announced her fourth presidential campaign. She campaigned with the slogan "Perú con orden" (Peru with order). She focused on improving public safety during a time of challenges. She won the first round with 17.18% of the votes. On June 7, 2026, she defeated Roberto Sánchez in the runoff election. Sánchez did not accept the results, but election officials and international observers found no major problems.

Her Presidency

Keiko Fujimori was sworn in as president on July 28, 2026, in Lima. She is Peru's 10th president since 2016. She is also the country’s first female elected president. After her inauguration, she promised to strengthen ties between Peru and the United States.

Political Views

Keiko Fujimori is a key leader of Fujimorism. This is a political movement based on her father's government from 1990 to 2000. This movement is often described as a form of right-wing populism. Keiko has presented her own political goals as continuing her father's work on the economy and public safety. She aims to improve Peru's market-based economy and maintain social order.

Fujimori supports free-market economics. She also holds socially conservative views. She believes in a strong approach to crime and public order. During her 2021 campaign, she spoke about governing with a "heavy hand." She said that democracy "cannot be weak."

People describe Keiko Fujimori's political position in different ways. In the mid-2010s, she was often seen as center-right to right-wing. Some media and experts have also called her positions populist. Keiko herself has said her movement is center-right. She has contrasted this with other politicians she calls "far-right" or "radical left."

Her repeated success in elections, despite losing three runoffs, shows her party's strong organization. It also highlights the "anti-Fujimorismo" sentiment in Peru. This is a strong feeling against her political movement that affects elections.

Electoral Journey

See also

In Spanish: Keiko Fujimori para niños