King Felipe VI joins Milei, Kast, Noboa, and other Latin American leaders at Keiko Fujimori’s inauguration

Eduardo González King Felipe VI attended the inauguration of Peru's new president, Keiko Fujimori, on Tuesday, where he met with a large group of Latin American leaders, especially those leaning to the right. "From this moment on, an irreversible clock starts ticking: we have exactly 1,826 days of governance ahead of us" to confront the "catastrophic situation" of a country "weakened by corruption," Fujimori stated in her inaugural address. "There are not two distinct Perus, there is only one Peru, vibrant, multicultural, strong, and ancient, ready to rise again," she continued. "I assume the presidency with the firmness needed to govern, but also with the sensitivity necessary to listen and heal the wounds of our people," she added. Among the ten heads of state and government attending the event, besides the King, were Presidents Javier Milei (Argentina), Rodrigo Paz (Bolivia), José Antonio Kast (Chile), Daniel Noboa (Ecuador), Nasry Asfura (Honduras), José Raúl Mulino (Panama), Santiago Peña (Paraguay), and Yamandú Orsi (Uruguay, the only leftist), as well as the Vice President-elect of Colombia, Juan Manuel Restrepo, who will assume office on August 7 under the presidency of the right-wing Abelardo de la Espriella. Fujimori thus represents another example of the rightward shift that Latin America as a whole is experiencing. Also present at the event was the leader of the People's Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. "Lima is bringing together the main Ibero-American leaders these days," he wrote on social media. "Peru is a strategic ally for Spain that deserves prosperity and stability," he continued. “Keiko Fujimori will work to make this happen, and I will work to ensure that my country serves as a bridge between the European Union and Latin America,” Feijóo affirmed, in another nod to his potential electoral victory in 2027. “Today we reaffirm our commitment to democracy, cooperation, and the shared future of our community,” he concluded. Meanwhile, the King, who traveled with the State Secretary for International Cooperation, Eva Granados, took advantage of his presence in Lima to hold a bilateral meeting with the President of the Republic of Paraguay, Santiago Peña. The King usually represents Spain at the inaugurations of Latin American presidents, a task that King Felipe has been undertaking since 1996 when he was still Prince of Asturias. With Fujimori's investiture, Felipe VI will have attended the inauguration of a Latin American leader 23 times since ascending the throne. Specifically, the Monarch was present in 2016 at the inauguration of Portugal's Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa; in 2018 at the inauguration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president of Mexico; in 2019, at that of Panama's Laurentino Cortizo; in 2020, at those of Uruguay's Luis Lacalle Pou and Bolivia's Luis Arce; in 2021, at those of Ecuador's Guillermo Lasso Mendoza and Peru's Pedro Castillo; in 2022, at those of Honduras' Xiomara Castro, Chile's Gabriel Boric, Costa Rica's Rodrigo Chaves, and Colombia's Gustavo Petro; in 2023, at those of Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Paraguay's Santiago Peña Palacios, and Argentina's Javier Milei; in 2024, at those of Guatemala's César Bernardo Arévalo de León and Panama's José Raúl Mulino Quintero; and the re-elected presidents Nayib Bukele of El Salvador and Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic; in 2025, the president of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi; and in 2026, the presidents of Portugal, António José Seguro; Chile, José Antonio Kast; and Costa Rica, Laura Fernández Delgado. Keiko Fujimori, candidate of the right-wing Popular Force party and daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), won the second round of the presidential elections on June 7, defeating the candidate of Together for Peru, the leftist Roberto Sánchez. Between 1994 and 2000, she served as First Lady of Peru alongside her father, following the dismissal of her mother, Susana Higuchi. She is considered one of the most influential and powerful people in her country. Following Fujimori's victory, the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the current Peruvian ambassador to Spain, Luis Iberico, who will remain in his post until July 28, coinciding with the presidential transition. The decision to appoint the new ambassador will be made by the incoming government.

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