Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori is facing widespread criticism from political analysts over her weekly social media livestreams while Peru confronts severe national security and economic crises.
Critics argue that the head of state is projecting an image of frivolity and disconnection from public reality by broadcasting casual online videos, including trying on hats and promoting corporate brands, while the nation deals with rising violent crime, extortion, and imminent natural disaster threats.
Fujimori, who assumed the presidency in August 2026, hosted a livestream on Sunday, August 9, where she tried on various local hats, praising their craftsmanship as export quality. During the same broadcast, she highlighted a visit to the Arca Continental Lindley bottling plant, announcing a multi-million dollar investment by the company in Peru and defending the Coca-Cola distributor against environmental criticism by praising its recycling program and water usage management.
Social Media Broadcasts and Corporate Branding
Political communication specialist Yeminson Flores Carhuachi noted that Fujimori also appeared in photos alongside Minister of Labor and Employment Promotion Juan Sheput and Minister of Production Juan Carlos Requejo, toasting with Coca-Cola bottles. Flores Carhuachi stated that by categorically defending the private corporation, Fujimori acted as a brand spokesperson rather than maintaining the neutrality expected of a head of state, who should focus on promoting the national country brand instead of private capital.
Flores Carhuachi also highlighted a shift in Fujimori's public presentation compared to her presidential campaign. During her election bid, she regularly featured her daughters at rallies to build an image as a mother and caregiver. Since taking power, her daughters no longer appear in her public communications, as she relies instead on direct social media livestreams to connect with citizens.
Fujimori has conducted live broadcasts every Sunday since taking office and has indicated that she intends to continue the weekly sessions. However, analysts point out that these broadcasts coincide with pressing national problems, including high rates of contract killings and extortion, weather alerts linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon, and an impending transport workers' strike triggered by rising fuel costs.
Journalist and political analyst Iván García Mayer stated that while Fujimori aims to appear affable, her online broadcasts reveal a stark clash between complex national emergencies and casual streams focused on artisanal hats. He noted that Fujimori has shifted away from the confrontational style of her campaign, which ran under the slogan Force and Order, attempting instead to project a unifying and tolerant persona toward the public and political factions in Congress.
Echoes of Alberto Fujimori and Campaign Imagery
The Sunday livestreams are part of a broader communications approach that includes symbolic references to past political figures. On August 3, Fujimori attended river cleaning and dredging operations along the Piura River in northern Peru, where she climbed onto a tractor and waved to attendees. The appearance directly mirrored a famous 1990s photograph of her father, former president and dictator Alberto Fujimori.
Fujimori previously drew on her father's memory during her three prior presidential campaigns, including her successful 2026 run. Throughout her recent campaign, she repeatedly drew parallels between the 1990s security crisis involving internal terrorism and Peru's current wave of extortion and targeted killings.
García Mayer observed that while evoking her father serves as an initial gesture to appeal to his political legacy, it cannot sustain her public approval over the long term. He stressed that Alberto Fujimori's era remains widely associated with corruption, authoritarian rule, secret bribery videos known as vladivideos, and attacks on freedom of the press.
The image of Fujimori on a tractor also contrasted sharply with her official response to citizens residing in vulnerable areas. When addressing families facing potential landslides due to El Niño weather hazards, Fujimori issued a public call advising residents living in risk zones to attempt to relocate. Flores Carhuachi compared her advice to Marie Antoinette's famous remark suggesting that starving citizens eat cake, calling it evidence of a deep disconnect from the daily realities of Peruvian citizens.
Controlled Media Strategy and Performance Demands
Analysts emphasized that Fujimori's reliance on livestreams allows her administration to maintain tight control over its public message and avoid uncomfortable questions. Since taking office as president, Fujimori has not held a formal press conference nor granted a full media interview, limiting her interactions with journalists to brief answers during public events.
Flores Carhuachi explained that avoiding press interviews serves two purposes: shielding the president from intense questioning and masking a lack of early policy results. Politologist and political consultant Cristopher Añanca Bendezú added that while previous officials, such as former president Martín Vizcarra during the COVID-19 pandemic or José Jerí during his tenure, also utilized broadcast media, social media presence must be backed by concrete government actions.
Añanca Bendezú warned that over the medium and long term, restricting access to journalists and independent media will be perceived by the public as a lack of transparency and responsiveness to citizen demands, threatening to undermine the legitimacy of her administration's communications.
He added that while relying on her father's political legacy helps consolidate her core voting base in the short term, that strategy will inevitably wear out, requiring Fujimori to establish her own distinct presidential narrative. García Mayer noted that executive advisers are currently attempting to protect public expectations following a narrow election victory, shielding the presidency from heavy scrutiny that could deflate citizen optimism before concrete policy results can be delivered.
