Keiko Fujimori: From First Lady to President of Peru?

Lima, Peru – In 1994, Peru's hardline leader Alberto Fujimori gave his daughter, Keiko, a crucial task. She was 19, her parents were divorced, and the country was still reeling from her mother's accusations that her father had ordered agents to torture her.

At that moment, Keiko faced a question: Would she become her father's new First Lady?

She accepted, and since then, Keiko Fujimori has been a constant focus of attention.

Over the past three decades, Peru has witnessed her transformation from a playful teenager who once painted the Presidential Palace pink into a formidable opposition leader, heading the country's most powerful party.

She is a rare constant in Peru's volatile politics, helping to topple one enemy after another while placing allies in key government positions, from the attorney general's office to the ombudsman.

However, winning the presidency has proven more difficult. Despite running three times before, Keiko lost each second-round election to lesser-known candidates.

Critics caustically remark that she is so unpopular that if her opponent were a loaf of panettone, she would still lose.

This year, however, she appears well-positioned to finally win Sunday's runoff election. Her first-round result on April 12 exceeded expectations, and polls for most of the campaign showed her leading leftist opponent Roberto Sanchez.

But as Sanchez adjusted his agenda in the final week of campaigning, her lead vanished, according to a Thursday poll by research firm Ipsos.

With the two still neck-and-neck, Sunday's presidential election could go either way.

“Keiko, Keiko, always Keiko,” said Eduardo Salazar, 35, a Lima hospital worker, reflecting on her perennial presence in Peru's presidential races.

Since Salazar came of voting age, Keiko has appeared on ballots. And every time, he said, he voted for her opponent.

This year, Salazar said he is still unsure which candidate is “the lesser evil” – the criterion many disillusioned Peruvians use to decide.

“I think her father, though he did some good things, overall harmed the country, and I think she wants to emulate him. But this time I almost want to vote for her so she stops trying,” he said. “Because she won't let the country move forward without her.”