"I have decided to marry Peru."
With those six words, Peru's president-elect Keiko Fujimori attempted to define what she says will be her presidency: one rooted in the country's future rather than the legacy of her father, former President Alberto Fujimori, whose name remains one of the most polarizing in modern Latin American politics.
In her first interview since winning Peru's presidential election, Fujimori acknowledged that she cannot escape comparisons with the former strongman whose government defeated the Shining Path insurgency and tamed hyperinflation in the 1990s but also ended in authoritarianism, corruption scandals, and human rights abuses that ultimately led to his imprisonment.
"I have decided to marry Peru," Fujimori told journalist and author Ismael Cala in an hour-long conversation released Wednesday on his YouTube channel and podcast The Abundance Revolution. "I have left behind many personal dreams because today my commitment is to my country."
The interview marks Fujimori's first extensive public appearance since securing the presidency on her fourth attempt, ending years of electoral defeats that had repeatedly kept one of Peru's best-known political figures out of office.
But her return to power has revived a debate that has defined Peruvian politics for more than two decades: whether Fujimori represents a new generation of leadership or the continuation of the movement known as Fujimorismo.
For many Peruvians, that distinction matters.
Supporters credit Alberto Fujimori with defeating the Maoist guerrilla group, rescuing Peru from economic collapse, and modernizing the country during the 1990s. His critics argue those achievements came at the expense of democracy, pointing to the 1992 self-coup that dissolved Congress and widespread corruption and human rights violations committed under his administration. He was convicted in 2009 for crimes related to death squad killings and corruption before later being released from prison.
Throughout her political career, Keiko Fujimori has faced accusations that she would govern as an extension of her father's legacy.
During the interview, she sought to challenge that narrative directly.
"I feel proud of my parents," she said, while insisting her administration will be "an original presidency," based on democratic institutions and respect for the rule of law.
She also addressed one of the most controversial episodes of her early political life: becoming Peru's first lady at age 19 after her parents' public separation.
For decades, critics accused Fujimori of abandoning her mother, Susana Higuchi, during a bitter family conflict. Fujimori said that account is incomplete.
According to the president-elect, she initially rejected her father's request to assume the role while studying at Boston University. She said it was Higuchi herself who convinced her to return to Peru.
"I think it's an excellent idea," Fujimori recalled her mother telling her. "You could do it very well. It is an opportunity for you and for our country."
The revelation is one of several personal stories shared during the interview, which also recounts the reconciliation of her parents shortly before Higuchi died of lung cancer.
Fujimori described arranging a phone call between her imprisoned father and her dying mother, saying Alberto Fujimori told his former wife they had fulfilled their mission by raising four children and asked her to "go in peace" if her time had come.
"My mother died eight hours later," she said.
The emotional account is part of what appears to be a broader effort to humanize a family whose political history has often overshadowed its personal one.
Still, analysts say Fujimori's greatest challenge will not be reshaping public perceptions but governing a country exhausted by years of instability.
Peru has cycled through a succession of presidents since 2016 amid impeachment battles, corruption investigations and repeated confrontations between Congress and the executive branch. The political crisis has eroded public confidence while violent crime and extortion have become dominant concerns across the country.
Fujimori enters office with an advantage few of her recent predecessors enjoyed. Her conservative Popular Force party and allied blocs are expected to hold significant influence in Congress, potentially giving her greater legislative support than previous administrations. However, that same congressional strength has alarmed opponents who fear the return of the political dominance associated with Fujimorismo and question whether institutional checks and balances will remain strong.
Those concerns are compounded by Fujimori's own legal history. She has spent years under investigation in connection with campaign financing allegations tied to the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, although she denies wrongdoing and has not been convicted. The investigations became a central issue during previous presidential campaigns and remain a point of criticism among opponents.
Asked what she considers the greatest challenge of her presidency, Fujimori pointed not to political polarization but to public security.
"People tell me, 'Keiko, fulfill your promise. Give us back peace. Restore our confidence,'" she said. "That is my greatest challenge: to put an end to the political circus and restore hope to the Peruvian people."
