Keiko Fujimori
Encyclopedia
Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi (Japanese
: 藤森 恵子, Fujimori Keiko; born May 25, 1975) is a Peru
vian Fujimorista
politician, daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori
and Susana Higuchi
. She served as First Lady
, from 1994 to 2000, after her parents divorced, becoming the youngest First Lady in the history of the Americas
. She attained an MBA, and then became a member of the Peruvian legislature. Fujimori leads the right-wing party Fuerza 2011
, and lost her bid for the presidency in the 2011 Peruvian election
runoff of June 5, 2011.
.
In August 1994, after the divorce of her parents, she was appointed First Lady of Peru. At 19 years of age and still a student, she became the youngest First Lady of the Americas. From April 1994 to November 2000, she assumed the administration of Fundacion por los Niños del Perú (Foundation for the Children of Peru), created Fundacion Peruana Cardioinfantil (Peruvian Foundation for Infant Cardiology), which she presided from 1996 to 2006, and dedicated her activities to help low income families nationwide. She summoned the Peruvian business community to contribute to her social projects.
, the highest honor a foreigner could receive from the Chilean government, in recognition of her social accomplishments.
. She also sought international support to develop more social programs.
After her father's resignation, Keiko stayed in Peru until 2004 when she pursued an MBA at Columbia Business School
. In 2004, Fujimori married Mark Villanella, a United States citizen who also acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2009. In 2005, Keiko interrupted her studies and returned to Peru after an extradition process was initiated on her father. She became the leader of the Fujimorista Political Group and announced her father's candidacy in the April 2006 Peruvian presidential election, though he was forbidden to participate in any political activity until 2011 under a congressional ban. In April 2006, while her father was detained in neighboring Chile, Fujimori was elected to the Peruvian Congress with more votes than any winning candidate.
As a congresswoman and leader of her political party, Fujimori defended the reforms executed by her father during the 1990s. She has led the opposition to the government of Alan García. She authored a law that restricts penitentiary benefits for those who commit serious offenses, and another law that obligates judges to give the highest sanctions to repeat offenders. Similarly, she passed a law that reduces the jail benefits to those who are protected under the "sincere confession" provision. Along with the Fujimorista Congress members, she worked on a project law in which the death penalty would also be applicable to some of the most severe crimes.
. In March 2010, the National Jury of Elections formally recognized the political party after more than one million signatures were collected, a number that surpassed the requirement by 854,000 signatures. Opinion polls granted her high possibilities to win the presidential elections in 2011; she was leading in presidential election polls as of July 2010.
Fujimori hired former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani
as an adviser.
As of July 2010, Fujimori was noncommittal about whether she would pardon her father.
In the first round of the 2011 presidential elections
, Fujimori received 23.551% of the votes, second only to Ollanta Humala
, who received 31.699% of the votes. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
was third with 18.512%. In the June 5 runoff, she lost to Humala, 51.34% to 48.66%.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: 藤森 恵子, Fujimori Keiko; born May 25, 1975) is a Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian Fujimorista
Fujimorism
right|thumb|[[Alberto Fujimori]], founder of FujimorismFujimorism or Fujimorismo is a political ideology in Peru, established by former president Alberto Fujimori.-History:...
politician, daughter of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Fujimori Fujimori served as President of Peru from 28 July 1990 to 17 November 2000. A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with the creation of Fujimorism, uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of...
and Susana Higuchi
Susana Higuchi
Susana Shizuko Higuchi Miyagawa is a Peruvian politician and engineer, better known as the former wife of ex-president of Peru Alberto Fujimori...
. She served as First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
, from 1994 to 2000, after her parents divorced, becoming the youngest First Lady in the history of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. She attained an MBA, and then became a member of the Peruvian legislature. Fujimori leads the right-wing party Fuerza 2011
Fuerza 2011
Fuerza 2011 is a right-wing Fujimorista political party in Peru. The party is led by Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori and former congresswoman.-Peruvian elections 2011:Force 2011 supports the candidacy of:...
, and lost her bid for the presidency in the 2011 Peruvian election
Peruvian general election, 2011
The Peruvian general election, 2011 took place on 10 April 2011. Since no candidate received more than half of all valid votes, a second round was necessary to determine the winner. This second round took place on 5 June and determined the successor of Alan García, as well as 130 members of the...
runoff of June 5, 2011.
Early life
Keiko Fujimori graduated from Sagrados Corazones Recoleta (Recoleta Sacred Heart) high school, in 1992. The following year, she travelled to New York City to pursue a bachelors degree in Business Administration. She began her studies at Stony Brook University, and graduated in 1997 from Boston UniversityBoston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
.
In August 1994, after the divorce of her parents, she was appointed First Lady of Peru. At 19 years of age and still a student, she became the youngest First Lady of the Americas. From April 1994 to November 2000, she assumed the administration of Fundacion por los Niños del Perú (Foundation for the Children of Peru), created Fundacion Peruana Cardioinfantil (Peruvian Foundation for Infant Cardiology), which she presided from 1996 to 2006, and dedicated her activities to help low income families nationwide. She summoned the Peruvian business community to contribute to her social projects.
Philanthropy
By the year 2000, Keiko Fujimori had achieved the construction of several orphanages across the country, the creation of the first pediatric cardiovascular intensive care unit in Peru, and the surgeries of more than 1,000 children with heart problems. In 2000, she received the Orden Bernardo O'HigginsBernardo O'Higgins
Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme was a Chilean independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile , he is considered one of Chile's founding fathers, as he was the first holder...
, the highest honor a foreigner could receive from the Chilean government, in recognition of her social accomplishments.
Political career
Keiko Fujimori participated in several international assemblies, such as the Summit of Spouses of Heads of States and Government of the Americas in Canada and Chile, and the Cumbre Regional para la Infancia (Regional Summit for Infancy) in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. She also sought international support to develop more social programs.
After her father's resignation, Keiko stayed in Peru until 2004 when she pursued an MBA at Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School is the business school of Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1916 to provide business training and professional preparation for undergraduate and graduate Columbia University students...
. In 2004, Fujimori married Mark Villanella, a United States citizen who also acquired Peruvian citizenship in 2009. In 2005, Keiko interrupted her studies and returned to Peru after an extradition process was initiated on her father. She became the leader of the Fujimorista Political Group and announced her father's candidacy in the April 2006 Peruvian presidential election, though he was forbidden to participate in any political activity until 2011 under a congressional ban. In April 2006, while her father was detained in neighboring Chile, Fujimori was elected to the Peruvian Congress with more votes than any winning candidate.
As a congresswoman and leader of her political party, Fujimori defended the reforms executed by her father during the 1990s. She has led the opposition to the government of Alan García. She authored a law that restricts penitentiary benefits for those who commit serious offenses, and another law that obligates judges to give the highest sanctions to repeat offenders. Similarly, she passed a law that reduces the jail benefits to those who are protected under the "sincere confession" provision. Along with the Fujimorista Congress members, she worked on a project law in which the death penalty would also be applicable to some of the most severe crimes.
2011 presidential elections
During 2009, Keiko Fujimori began the collection of signatures in order to create her own political party, Fuerza 2011Fuerza 2011
Fuerza 2011 is a right-wing Fujimorista political party in Peru. The party is led by Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori and former congresswoman.-Peruvian elections 2011:Force 2011 supports the candidacy of:...
. In March 2010, the National Jury of Elections formally recognized the political party after more than one million signatures were collected, a number that surpassed the requirement by 854,000 signatures. Opinion polls granted her high possibilities to win the presidential elections in 2011; she was leading in presidential election polls as of July 2010.
Fujimori hired former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
as an adviser.
As of July 2010, Fujimori was noncommittal about whether she would pardon her father.
In the first round of the 2011 presidential elections
Peruvian general election, 2011
The Peruvian general election, 2011 took place on 10 April 2011. Since no candidate received more than half of all valid votes, a second round was necessary to determine the winner. This second round took place on 5 June and determined the successor of Alan García, as well as 130 members of the...
, Fujimori received 23.551% of the votes, second only to Ollanta Humala
Ollanta Humala
Ollanta Moisés Humala Tasso is a Peruvian politician and the President of Peru. Humala, who previously served as an army officer, lost the presidential election in 2006 but won the 2011 presidential election in a run-off vote...
, who received 31.699% of the votes. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Godard , better known simply as PPK, is a Peruvian public administrator, economist, and politician that participate in the policy of his country....
was third with 18.512%. In the June 5 runoff, she lost to Humala, 51.34% to 48.66%.