Di chair don empty. While di full house of di National Jury of Elections dey officially proclaim di winner of di presidential elections dis Friday for dia headquarters for Jesus Maria district, Keiko Fujimori no dey there to receive di result wey she don pursue for three failed campaigns and more dan one decade of insistence. For representation of di leader of Fuerza Popular, only di legal representatives of her party attend. Di scene surprise people because, after she lose by small margins against Ollanta Humala for 2011, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski for 2016 and Pedro Castillo for 2021, di daughter of Alberto Fujimori don finally cross di finish line.
Di ceremony dey happen for Jesus Maria, but di real political center of di day dey for di Fuerza Popular office for San Isidro district. From there, Fujimori follow di proclamation and wait for di exact moment to begin di next stage. As soon as di Jury finish to officialize di results, di new social media accounts of her government appear. Facebook, TikTok and di other platforms begin to spread di same slogan: “Presidenta Electa del Perú.” Dis no be simple political marketing decision. E get aura of celebration, but also of revenge. After three consecutive defeats, Fujimori seem determine to make her adversaries no forget who don win dis time.
Although di agonizing count of di National Office of Electoral Processes end after 22 days of di elections and don confirm di victory of Keiko Fujimori by less dan 1%, her opponent Roberto Sánchez dey continue to reject di result. Di leader of Juntos por el Perú dey claim say there be irregularities for di vote cast by Peruvians abroad, e don carry im complaint go di Inter-American Court of Human Rights and e dey refuse to recognize di person wey, from dis Friday, don get official title: president-elect.
Di last hours no be favorable for di strategy of di political heir of Pedro Castillo. Hours before di proclamation, di National Jury of Elections reject di final appeal wey im dey use to try to annul di votes of Peruvians residing abroad and reverse di result of di second round. Almost at di same time, di Judiciary declare inadmissible di habeas corpus filed by Antauro Humala, one of im political allies, wey dey seek to stop di proclamation by arguing say Keiko Fujimori, because of her nikkei origins, must renounce a supposed Japanese nationality before assuming di Presidency. Two decisions wey end up clearing di road for di proclamation.
With dat scenario resolved, Fujimori no waste time to explain wetin be her priority. “Today we close di electoral stage and, although di assumption of power be on July 28, di whole team go concentrate on di transfer process,” she state during a press conference where she no accept questions. Di message make clear say for her, di campaign don end and di government dey start long before di swearing-in. Two important ceremonies still dey remain: on July 15 she go receive di credentials for di next five years for di National Theatre of Lima and on July 28, during di celebrations for Independence, she go officially assume power. But di president-elect want to transmit di idea say she no go wait for any of dose dates to begin to act.
Dis Friday dem announce di creation of di Office of di President-Elect, a mechanism wey dey aim to conduct di transfer process with di government of José María Balcázar and prepare di arrival of di new administration to Palacio. “Beyond di joy of dis result, we no go wait one minute more, because we dey here to resolve di problems of di country and begin to make decisions. Dat is why we don decide to set up di Office of di President-Elect,” she state. Miguel Torres, second vice-president and senator-elect, go join di team along with di leader Marco Vinelli, who go assume di head of di process. Di mission go be to produce a technical diagnosis of each ministry to know di state of programs, works, projects and available resources before di change of power.
Di speech wey Fujimori use open dis new stage also dey aim to distance from confrontation. “Today a new stage dey begin for Peru, a stage of responsibility, dialogue and results; a stage to recover trust for our institutions and put di State back at di service of di people. I dey call you all to look forward, to build together a safer, more prosperous and more united country, because Peru be much bigger dan our differences and, when we work together, we fit achieve everything,” she talk. Later she promise a government wey be “open, digital and close”: open to make public decisions and use of State resources transparent; digital to simplify procedures and reduce bureaucracy; and close to listen to citizens where dem need am most.
E no go be easy task. Fujimori dey arrive to Palacio as di first woman elected to govern Peru, but she also carry one of di highest levels of rejection for national politics. Wide sectors dey hold her responsible for di instability wey di country don experience during di last decade, marked by permanent clashes between di Executive and di Congress, presidential vacancies and a succession of governments wey don erode trust for institutions. She no get uniform support for di polls either. She win only for nine of di twenty-five regions of di country, while di rest choose Roberto Sánchez, confirming a deeply divided political map.
While Fujimori dey organize di transition from Lima, Roberto Sánchez dey tour Puno, one of di regions where anti-Fujimorismo dey preserve more roots. There he meet with di Association of di Relatives of di Martyrs of Juliaca, wey dey demand justice for di death of 18 people and di more dan one hundred injured wey di protests against di government of Dina Boluarte for early 2023 cause. Outside di country, however, di discussion seem closed. During di hours after di proclamation, di protocol greetings arrive from ideologically close leaders like Javier Milei, José Antonio Kast, Abelardo de la Espriella and Nayib Bukele, but also from leaders for di other political side. Di Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, wish her success for di task of “uniting di Peruvian people around a common development project,” while di European Union express readiness to strengthen cooperation for trade, investment, security and sustainable development.
Di transition don dey go. But di first debate of Fujimori government don start even before she swear in. Di former presidents Alejandro Toledo and Pedro Castillo dey seek to regain dema freedom through a humanitarian pardon. Di question don begin to circulate for political corridors.
