There are still a few places in the world that count ballots like California - Peru isn't one of them.
There was a run-off election on June 7th between two clear choices this time - a definite left-wing candidate named Roberto Sanchez. He has the blessing of the former leftist president, Pedro Castillo, who, like so many of these Latin American Marxist types, was a school teacher and union president before his political career took off. It's almost as if you have to have a union card.
...Sanchez, whose rise has unsettled private investors, is running with the support of former leftist President Pedro Castillo, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to dissolve Congress and seize broad powers in late 2022.
The surprising twist, as far as the right-wing choice went, was who she is - Keiko Fujimori. If that name sounds vaguely familiar, you get a cookie!
As a teenager, Keiko Fujimori served as first lady to her father, Alberto, an iron-fisted ruler eventually imprisoned for extrajudicial killings. Now, she is following her father into Peru’s presidency as the latest right-wing leader to win power in Latin America.
As the heir of the movement founded by her father, her election has inspired both jubilation and fear among Peruvians who recall Alberto Fujimori’s rule from 1990 to 2000. Back then, he smashed a brutal Maoist insurgency and hyperinflation before his government collapsed amid widespread corruption and human-rights offenses.
The Fujimoro legacy may be harder for the Western press to deal with than the Peruvians.
Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of Peru’s former dictator has taken the lead in the country’s presidential election by just 600 votes.
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 12, 2026
Read her profile to understand what her election could mean for Peru ⬇️https://t.co/f7niKm70Ob pic.twitter.com/4ggrNFJyIo
Time will tell, although this election has proven that the Marxist run in Peru has worn out its welcome, as it has in so many other South and Central American countries recently. Will she lay the ghost of her father to rest?
There were over 20 million votes cast, and Fujimori is eking out a slim lead with only a few remaining to be counted that should guarantee her the presidency.
Naturally, Mr. Sanchez wanted a large swathe of votes invalidated, but the run-off was a closely watched election by a plethora of international observers, and they are pretty unanimous in declaring it went off without a hiccup.
...Last week, Sanchez requested that some 400,000 overseas votes be invalidated, citing irregularities in their transportation. The request was rejected by the authorities.
In recent days, Sanchez's supporters have held marches against the electoral authority in the capital Lima, following calls by the leftist candidate to "defend the people's vote." The demonstrations, which drew hundreds of participants, were peaceful.
Following the runoff election, the Organization of American States and European Union election observation missions agreed in separate press conferences that the voting had proceeded normally and, given the close results, urged the country to await the official tally.
Gratefully, Sanchez's supporters are not blockading the capital city as are the frustrated losers who have rallied to defeated Marxist Bolivian president Evo Morales in La Paz. His peasant army has spent the past month trying to choke off their capital city in protest.
Now, because of the right-wing squeeze happening to the long-time bully boys' club the Marxists had going down there, with their throttle-hold on the continent, the few remaining club members are angry and lashing out.
Colombia's vile Gustavo Petro was cheering as Sanchez took an initial small lead over Fujimori...
El progresismo acaba de ganar la presidencia del Perú y ha derrotado la fuerza más de extrema derecha de ese país, la que representan a la familia Fujimori.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 8, 2026
Ha sido reivindicado Pedro Castillo por el mismo pueblo del Perú.
Restableceré completamente las relaciones diplomáticas… https://t.co/9BNy3clOL2
Progressivism has just won the presidency of Peru and has defeated the most extreme right-wing force in that country, the one represented by the Fujimori family.
Pedro Castillo has been vindicated by the people of Peru itself.
I will fully restore diplomatic relations and ask the new president that we initiate a merger of the Andean Pact with Mercosur.
...only to start coming unglued as the vote tallies gently shifted toward Keiko Fujimoro's column.
Sra Fujimori, ud intervino en politica en Colombia con su internacional fascista y usted misma.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 8, 2026
Si ud pierde las elecciones en el Perú, no es por el color de mi piel.
Si pierde es por su padre que fué un criminal de lesa humanidad. pic.twitter.com/K1Hpju5PFA
Mrs. Fujimori, who intervened in politics in Colombia with her fascist international and she herself.
If you lose the elections in Peru, it is not because of the color of my skin.
If you lose, it is because of your father who was a criminal against humanity.
Aw. You hate to see it. He has so few friends left, and all he can do is act uglier.
For Peruvians, as for the other countries that have turned their backs on decades of Marxist leadership, it was again all about crime and economics. Adding to the contrast, Keiko Fujimori is as much a part of the Peruvian political establishment as her father was not.
...With more than 98% of the votes counted in Sunday’s runoff election, she overtook her leftist opponent, Roberto Sánchez, with 50.002% support—a difference of just a few hundred votes out of nearly 20 million cast. Pollsters say that minuscule lead will hold as the remaining ballots fall in her favor.
She will join a growing faction of right-wing leaders elected across South America. Only Uruguay, Colombia, and Brazil have left-of-center governments, and the latter two face coming elections in which right-wing candidates have a strong shot at winning.
...In recent years, critics have accused her of leading a right-wing congressional coalition that has undermined Peru’s democracy, pushed through laws defanging organized-crime investigations and stocked the judiciary with allies.
Still, voters exhausted by street crime and economic paralysis say she represents the best path forward.
“Her father was a great leader, and she has a coherent team that can pull the country out of the mess we’re in,” said Carlos Sigüeñas, a businessman on the outskirts of Lima. “Security will improve, there will be better jobs, more investment.”
Some of the neighbors are already celebrating.
Los venezolanos también celebramos el triunfo de Perú, al saber que Keiko Fujimori será la próxima presidenta. Roberto Sánchez ya fue, terminará igual que Pedro Castillo en la cárcel, izquierda nunca más.#EleccionesPerú2026 | Lima | ONPE | Ipso | Llora pic.twitter.com/vNVnpr7tmv
— Aятυяσ 🇻🇪 (@arturojb18) June 12, 2026
We Venezuelans also celebrate Peru's victory, upon learning that Keiko Fujimori will be the next president. Roberto Sánchez is already done for, he'll end up just like Pedro Castillo in jail, left-wing never again.
There is a definitive shift in the Latin American world that is, if not directly throwing out the Marxists, inexorably nudging them towards the exits.
- Latin America is currently undergoing a political shift to the right. Following the defeat of several left-wing governments, conservative and right-wing populist forces have dominated the region since 2025. This development follows the “pink tide” of the 2000s and is fuelled by growing dissatisfaction with left-wing incumbents as well as by a new US policy approach.
- Of the 15 democracies examined here, nine have changed political direction since 2022, mostly from left to right. Figures such as Javier Milei in Argentina and Nayib Bukele in El Salvador embody the new political mood with their populist strategies, while moderate conservatives such as Luis Abinader in the Dominican Republic prioritise stability and pragmatism.
- What these new governments share is a focus on security, economic reform, and the rejection of left-wing networks. Political polarisation and personalisation are increasing, while traditional centrist parties are losing influence and facing strategic dilemmas.
- Young voters and social media are further accelerating the shift to the right. Whether this turn will bring lasting improvements or is merely another swing of the pendulum will depend on the new leaders’ governing capacity and respect for democratic principles.
Peru is facing the same challenges and is choosing a familiar name with a legislative track record of opposing a socialist agenda.
And, in kind of a wild nod to the World Cup and fighting the drug cartels all in one, Peruvian police dressed up as soccer mascots to nail a drug trafficker.
Police in Peru took World Cup fever to another level, disguising themselves as FIFA 2026 mascots to stage a dramatic drug raid in Lima. pic.twitter.com/07HqJxhiPk
— New York Post (@nypost) June 13, 2026
Maybe there's hope the Peruvians can pull this off.
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