MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fujimori's inauguration brings Southern Cone and Andean presidents together in Lima

Fujimori will become the first woman to reach Peru's presidency through the ballot box

The presidents of Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, and Honduras arrived in Lima on Monday to attend the handover ceremony at which Keiko Fujimori will assume Peru's presidency for the 2026-2031 term. The leaders of Argentina, Javier Milei; Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi; Panama, José Raúl Mulino; and Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, are also expected to take part.

Interim President José María Balcázar hosted an official dinner for the delegations on Monday night at the Government Palace in the capital's historic center, and on Tuesday will hand the presidential sash to Fujimori on the anniversary of Peru's independence.

Several delegations arrived with defined bilateral agendas. Bolivia's Rodrigo Paz, on his first visit to the neighboring country, will hold a meeting with Fujimori with the stated aim of “restoring diplomatic dialogue between the two countries,” according to Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo. La Paz's priorities include setting up a binational cabinet in the short term and advancing the use of the Peruvian port of Ilo, which for landlocked Bolivia holds “commercial, tourism and energy” significance.

Chile's José Antonio Kast had already held a video call with the president-elect on July 10, in which they discussed migration and coordination against transnational organized crime. The two also agreed on the need to revitalize the Pacific Alliance, a bloc in which both countries are full members and which they see as a key mechanism for commercial projection toward Asia-Pacific markets.

Paraguay's Santiago Peña, who arrived with his wife, has bilateral and business meetings scheduled, while Honduras's Nasry Asfura will meet with business leaders and officials to promote cooperation opportunities, according to their respective governments.

Fujimori will become the first woman to reach Peru's presidency through the ballot box, after winning by a narrow margin of 49,641 votes over left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez in the June 7 runoff. She takes office on her fourth attempt, following three consecutive runoff defeats.

The incoming president assumes office facing two main challenges: citizen security, the population's foremost concern, and political stability in a country where no president has completed a five-year term over the past decade. Her electoral rival turned to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights alleging irregularities, a request the National Elections Board dismissed before proclaiming the results.