The rise of the far-right in the Americas

Issue 394: Peru's final election results came in, and I told you it will be super tight. It was. Keiko Fujimori won with the help of the diaspora, and everybody's still coping. I asked Valeria Vicente, a Peruvian journalist, about what this win means for the country.

Also this week: Dementia awareness for Nigerians, treatment trials for Ebola in the DR Congo, more babies in Vietnam, Japan's first openly gay actor, and Algeria's very, very low voter turnout, and so much more.

This newsletter has been edited by Jonathan Ramsay.

The final results of Peru's elections are in. What does Keiko Fujimori's win actually mean? An interview with a Peruvian journalist

What happened:
In June 2026, Peru held a presidential election. The final result was announced last week, and (right-wing) Keiko Fujimori won very narrowly (with a 0.28% difference). Roberto Sánchez, the left-wing candidate, alleges fraud.

Why this matters: Right-wing governments are now in power in 12 countries of the Americas. Most recently, Colombia joined the club, too.

Did you know that Keiko Fujimori is the first woman elected by popular vote to serve as President of Peru? Yes, Dina Boluarte was the first woman to hold the office, but she wasn't elected. Keiko was.

Tell me more:
She is a conservative politician and the daughter of Alberto Fujimori, who governed Peru in the 1990s, shut down Congress in a 1992 self-coup, and was later convicted of corruption and of human rights crimes tied to killings by state forces. His way of doing politics, known as "Fujimorismo," has shaped the country for three decades, and his rule is widely described as authoritarian. For a long time, the anti-Fujimorist movement managed to prevent his daughter from coming to power. "This time, it wasn't enough," writes Renzo Gómez Vega in El País. Interestingly, she only won with the vote of diaspora Peruvians (this is why Roberto Sánchez is rejecting the results right now). Keiko Fujimori's main campaign topic? Crime. Crime is actually one of the biggest problems in Peru right now. Many people feel unsafe in the country (because of gold).

What does her win actually mean?
To understand why she won and what this means for Peru, I spoke with Peruvian journalist Valeria Vicente (her Instagram) with five years of experience specializing in political dynamics, socio-environmental conflicts, extractive industries, and human rights. Her work has been published in both national and international media, including La República, El País América, Hildebrandt en sus trece, and El Foco.

Question: If someone has never followed Peruvian politics, what happened in June and why should they care? Does this election have implications beyond Peru?
Vincente: In June, Peru held its presidential election, once again in a climate of extreme polarization, but also widespread apathy and distrust toward the political class. According to a February survey by the polling company IPSOS, most Peruvians did not trust any of the presidential candidates. [...] [Keiko Fujimori's] victory should be understood within a much broader context: the rise of the far-right across Latin America.

Question: How would you explain "Fujimorismo" in simple words? Is it a political ideology, a family legacy, or something else?
Vincente: Fujimorismo is more than a family legacy. It has become a way of doing politics, based on populism and, increasingly, on a "tough-on-crime" approach. This political current follows the same kind of rhetoric used by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, which has proven very successful there. During the presidential debate, Keiko Fujimori did not mention any proposals related to human rights. Instead, she focused on infrastructure projects, supporting the private sector, and imposing tougher punishments for crime.

Question: This was the fourth time Keiko Fujimori ran for president. What changed this time? Was it really a vote for her, or more a vote against her opponent?
Vincente: Keiko Fujimori's victory should also be understood as the result of the weakening and fragmentation of Peru's political system. In [late December 2023], Congress abolished the Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory Primary Elections (PASO), a reform that would have allowed all Peruvians to participate in choosing presidential candidates.

Over the past five years, the coalition of political parties that controls Congress has voted in a coordinated way to capture key state institutions, pass laws and reforms that guarantee impunity for themselves, remove senior public officials who stood in the way of their interests, and protect other officials implicated in cases ranging from corruption to human rights violations. I recommend this article by IDL-Reporteros to better understand what many call the "mafia pact" through which Congress has captured the state. Under these circumstances, combined with political polarization and the loss of credibility of left-wing alternatives, Keiko Fujimori came to be seen as the "lesser evil."

Question: If you ask an average Peruvian what worries them most today, what would they say?
Vincente: Definitely insecurity. It is a problem that affects people across all sectors of society. According to a 2024 IPSOS survey, 76% of Peruvians, nearly eight out of every ten people, feel unsafe when they leave their homes to go about their daily lives.

Question: How much power will Keiko Fujimori actually have as president? What changes can she realistically achieve during her first year in office?
Vincente: Keiko Fujimori will take office in a deeply polarized political environment, with protests already announced by left-wing groups. In this context, her party, Fuerza Popular, has strengthened its ties with the military through honors awarded to members of the armed forces and laws granting pardons to military personnel convicted of crimes against humanity.

In addition, the coalition of parties in Congress led by Fuerza Popular has placed allies in key institutions, including the Constitutional Court, the National Jury of Elections, and the Ombudsman's Office. This is essential for understanding the real power that both Keiko Fujimori and her party now hold.

*Question: Are Peruvians...