Politics in Peru has been a revolving door for a decade. With eight presidents coming and going in just ten years, the country has been starved of stability. That changed slightly this weekend as the newly reinstated Senate handed a win to the party of President-elect Keiko Fujimori.
Miguel Torres, a key figure in Fujimori’s Popular Force party, is now the Senate president. He secured the spot with 30 out of 60 votes. It wasn't a solo victory. He built an alliance with the right-wing Popular Renewal party to get it done. This signals that Fujimori isn't wasting time before her formal inauguration this coming Tuesday, July 28.
What the return of the Senate means
For years, Peru operated with a unicameral legislature. That system clearly struggled to keep the government afloat. By bringing back the Senate, the country is hoping for a more measured approach to lawmaking. Torres explicitly mentioned that the goal is a "more prudent" state. They want to regain public trust. It’s a tall order given the intense polarization that defined the 2026 election cycle.
Fujimori’s victory itself was razor-thin. She beat leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez by a tiny margin, fueled largely by the overseas vote. Sánchez refused to concede gracefully, mirroring the kind of aggressive tactics we saw during the 2021 election when Pedro Castillo rose to power. Castillo, of course, is now in prison for his failed self-coup attempt. The atmosphere in Lima remains thick with tension.
Can they actually govern
Winning a leadership vote is one thing. Actually passing laws is another. No single party holds a majority in the new bicameral Congress. Popular Force is the largest group, but they are still forced to build coalitions. If they want to move forward on their economic agenda, they have to keep groups like Popular Renewal close.
Fujimori’s economic vision is clear. She’s leaning heavily into the fiscal policies her father championed back in the 1990s. This means a focus on attracting foreign investment and re-integrating Peru into international markets. It’s an ambitious play. Critics worry that this strategy ignores the 70% of the population working in the informal sector. They also point to rising crime as the real fire that needs putting out.
The immediate challenges
You cannot look at this shift without acknowledging the baggage. Fujimori has faced three previous defeats. This win is her fourth attempt, and it has come at a high cost to national unity. Her rival, Sánchez, hasn't just walked away. His supporters are still planning mobilizations. The street-level unrest could easily bleed into the halls of government.
Fujimori needs to hit the ground running. By securing the Senate presidency before her own inauguration, she has cleared a major hurdle. It gives her a base of operation that is at least nominally aligned with her goals.
If you are watching Peruvian politics, don't focus solely on the presidency. Watch the coalitions. The Senate leadership vote was a test run. If the alliance with Popular Renewal holds, they might be able to survive the initial rocky months of the administration. If it crumbles, we might just see a repeat of the same legislative gridlock that defined the last decade.
The next few weeks are critical. Keep an eye on how the lower house organizes itself. If they follow the Senate's lead, Fujimori will have a window to actually implement some of her campaign promises. If not, she will spend her entire term fighting just to stay in office.
