WASHINGTON, United States, July 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday congratulated Peru's president-elect Keiko Fujimori on her election win, terming it an "important electoral victory."

"The Trump Administration looks forward to deepening collaboration with the Fujimori Administration to advance security cooperation and to strengthen bilateral cooperation on investment and trade in our region," Rubio said in a statement.

Fujimori, 51, won the June 7 presidential runoff by the slimmest of margins, outpolling leftist Roberto Sanchez by fewer than 50,000 votes out of the more than 18 million ballots cast.

She inherits the task of running a country hit by powerful organized crime gangs and chronic political instability that has seen it burn through eight presidents in the past decade.