Conservative Catholic wins Peru’s presidency

Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, won Peru’s presidential election on June 8, beating leftist candidate Roberto Sánchez by only a few hundred votes out of nearly 20 million. Fujimori leads the right-wing Popular Force party. Her platform is socially conservative with strong anti-crime policies, pro-family emphasis, protection of life from conception, and opposition to certain progressive social changes. Her father, who ruled from 1990 to 2000, was an authoritarian populist who ruled with dictatorial powers after a 1992 autogolpe, “coup from the top.” Fujimori’s win continues a shift toward traditionalist Catholic leaders in Latin America. The late Herbert W. Armstrong forecast that the alliance between Europe and Latin America would grow strong, cemented by the Spanish language and the Catholic religion.