LIMA, Peru — Just two days before President-elect Keiko Fujimori is set to take office for the 2026–2031 presidential term, the conservative leader’s Popular Force party has secured control of the Senate presidency through a new right-wing alliance, clearing a critical early hurdle for the incoming administration.
Miguel Torres, a seasoned lawyer and legislator who also holds the title of Peru’s second vice president-elect, won the top Senate post in a 30-to-60 vote Sunday. The victory came via an alliance between Popular Force and the right-wing Popular Renewal party, whose member Alejandro Muñante claimed the Senate’s first vice presidency as part of the power-sharing deal.
This leadership vote marks a historic milestone for Peru, which has reinstated a bicameral congressional system for the first time in more than 30 years. The newly restructured Congress is still finalizing its full leadership structure: voting to select leadership for the 130-seat lower chamber was expected to conclude in the hours following the Senate result, and the new legislative body is scheduled to launch its first annual session on Monday.
In his remarks after being sworn in, Torres outlined a moderate, trust-focused agenda for the Senate, saying the body would work toward building a “more prudent” state and repairing the fractured relationship between Peruvian political institutions and the public they serve.
The new bicameral Congress inherits a steep set of challenges, starting with the deep, long-running governance crisis that has shaken the Andean nation over the past decade. The instability of this period is reflected in an extraordinary political turnover: eight different presidents have held office in Peru since 2014, a pattern of constant upheaval that has eroded public confidence in government across the country. Complicating legislative work further, no single political bloc holds a majority in either chamber of the new Congress, meaning cross-party cooperation will be required to advance any major policy.
Torres will serve a one-year term as Senate president, having been elected alongside Fujimori and first vice president Luis Galarreta in the country’s recent presidential contest. The incoming administration, led by Fujimori — who secured victory in a tight presidential runoff — will be inaugurated on July 28, when it formally takes power to address Peru’s ongoing political and social challenges.