Peru frontrunner vows to expel migrants, further Latin America’s rightward tilt

Peru’s presidential frontrunner Keiko Fujimori vowed to expel illegal migrants, attract US investment and extend a conservative tide sweeping power in Latin America, in an exclusive interview with AFP on the eve of Sunday’s election.

Fujimori pledged a military-tinged effort to “restore order” to crime-hit Peru in her first 100 days in office and sought a united front with conservative leaders in Washington, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

Keiko is the 50-year-old daughter of ex-president Alberto Fujimori, who spent 16 years in jail for crimes against humanity before dying in September 2024.

She is one of 35 candidates in the record-setting field and has a slender lead in pre-election polls.

The last Ipsos survey before a polling blackout gave her about 15 percent support — the highest tally of any candidate and likely enough to advance to a two-person runoff in June.

Her rivals include a popular comedian, an octogenarian ex-mayor, and a businessman who likens himself to a cartoon pig.