Keiko Fujimori is to be sworn in as Peru’s president on Tuesday, ending a decade of institutional instability and marking the return of the Fujimori political dynasty after a 26-year absence. A day before the ceremony, she announced the first members of her cabinet: Luis Galarreta, her vice-president-elect, will serve as prime minister; Elmer Cuba, a former central bank director, will head the economy ministry; and Carlos Espá, a former presidential candidate who worked for over a decade at the US embassy in Lima, will become foreign minister. The inauguration in Lima is set to draw a large contingent of regional leaders, including Argentina’s Javier Milei, Chile’s José Antonio Kast, and Spain’s King Felipe VI, as well as a US delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

According to statements from the president-elect’s office, the new government will operate “with a sense of urgency,” prioritising public security and economic reactivation. Galarreta told reporters the cabinet would deliver visible results within 100 days, focusing on organised crime and the impact of the El Niño weather pattern. Cuba, a pro-market economist who advised Fujimori a decade ago, said he would pursue reforms to restore “healthy growth” and review regulations he described as threatening fiscal stability. Espá, for his part, stated he would work to strengthen Peru’s international presence and attract investment. The defeated left-wing candidate, Roberto Sánchez, has said through his party that he does not recognise the result and will appeal to international bodies.

Viewed from Washington, the appointment of Espá signals a potential realignment of Peru’s foreign policy towards the United States at a time of intensifying strategic competition with China, Peru’s largest trading partner. During his own presidential campaign, Espá described Chinese state-owned firms as monopolistic and said bilateral ties should remain strictly commercial. The presence of a senior US delegation, including the under secretary of commerce for international trade, underscores the importance the Trump administration places on Lima, particularly given Peru’s reserves of copper and critical minerals. Analysts in regional financial centres note that Cuba’s nomination has been received by markets as a sign of continuity, but they caution that Fujimori’s narrow mandate — a margin of fewer than 50,000 votes — and a fragmented bicameral Congress will test her ability to enact structural reforms.

Fujimori, 51, is the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, who governed from 1990 to 2000 and was later convicted of human rights violations and corruption. She herself spent 16 months in pre-trial detention on campaign finance charges that were later dropped. Her victory, on her fourth presidential bid, came after a decade in which Peru cycled through eight heads of state, several of whom were jailed. The new president inherits a country where nearly 40 per cent of districts are under a state of emergency due to El Niño, and where crime consistently tops public concern surveys. Her Fuerza Popular party holds the largest blocs in both the senate and chamber of deputies but lacks a majority, requiring negotiations with centre and right-wing forces.

The full cabinet is expected to be announced after the inauguration. The first council of ministers is scheduled for Wednesday morning, followed by a traditional military parade. Fujimori’s government will immediately face the task of securing legislative support for its agenda in a congress where opposition parties have already allied to claim key leadership posts.