The Senate of the Republic authorized the trip of the president Keiko Fujimori to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum summit (APEC), in China, and make an official visit to Japan, from November 15 to 21.
The decision was approved with 44 votes in favor, one against and five abstentions.
Minutes before the vote, Senator Mirtha Vásquez Chuquilín ( Ahora Nación ) questioned whether the president would make this trip while Pope Leo XIV was in the country.
Vásquez presented a preliminary question so that the travel authorizations to China and Japan could be voted separately and the president’s departure be postponed for one day, so that she could say goodbye to the Supreme Pontiff. However, his proposal was rejected.
“It is unacceptable that the Chancellery has given us a trip that interferes with the Pope’s visit (…) Due to the context, so much time is not justified (…) Even the President should consider traveling a day later so that it does not interfere with the Pope’s visit,” he said.
During the debate, senators Carlos Caballero, from Good Government, and Silvana Robles, from Together for Peru, also questioned that the president’s departure from the country coincided with the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Peru. Meanwhile, the pro-government parliamentarians defended the president’s trip.
“It is a total lack of respect for the Catholic people that Mrs. Fujimori insults the Pope,” said Robles.
For his part, Caballero questioned the scheduling of the presidential trip during the visit of the Supreme Pontiff.
“This debate coincides in time with an unrepeatable event in the political and spiritual history of the country: the state and pastoral visit of the supreme pontiff of Peruvian nationality, formally invited by our own State (…) It is a generational milestone that required the physical accompaniment and the unavoidable deference of the head of the State,” he said.
For the Good Government parliamentarian, this situation projects an image of “disorganization” and “diplomatic weakness.” Likewise, he blamed Foreign Minister Carlos Espá for what happened. However, he indicated that his party would vote in favor of the authorization, despite the Government’s “foolishness.”
In contrast, the pro-government senators Juan Carlos del Águila, Martha Chávez and Alejandro Aguinaga, as well as the Obras spokesperson, Daniel Barragán, defended Fujimori’s participation in the summit.
Together for Peru senators Saúl Armacanqui and Hugo Cacchuana also supported the trip, although the latter questioned the “snub” to the pope.
The only vote against was that of Silvana Robles, while the five abstentions corresponded to members of Ahora Nación.
| Bench | Number of members | in favor | against | Abstentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popular Force | 22 | 18 | ||
| Popular Renewal | 8 | 6 | ||
| Together for Peru | 14 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| Now Nation | 4 | 4 | ||
| Works | 5 | 5 | ||
| Good Government | 6 | 5 | ||
| Not grouped | 1 | 1 |
Fujimori will travel to participate in the 33rd Economic Leaders Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, which will take place on November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen, China.
Likewise, on November 20 he will hold a summit meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi.
During the absence of the head of state, the first vice president of the Republic, Luis Galarreta, will be in charge of the presidential office.
After receiving authorization, Fujimori thanked the Senate through his X account (formerly Twitter).
“I thank the Senate of the Republic for authorizing the official trip to China and Japan. I will participate in the APEC Leaders Summit and fulfill a high-level agenda to strengthen our relations, promote investments, open new markets and manage support and cooperation in the face of the El Niño phenomenon,” he published.
The presidential agenda includes bilateral meetings with the presidents of China, Xi Jinping; Vietnam, To Lam; Chile, José Antonio Kast; and Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, as well as with the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, and the prime ministers of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, and Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul.
He also plans to meet with the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, and participate in activities with representatives of the business sector.
In Japan, in addition to the meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the president will hold meetings with authorities and business representatives.
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Sunday, November 15 | Lima departure Time to be defined |
| Monday, November 16 | 22:20 Arrival in Shenzhen (approximate time) |
| Tuesday, November 17 | 10:00 Coordination meeting of the Peruvian delegation 13:00 16:30 17:30 |
| Wednesday, November 18 | 09:30 Bilateral meeting with the President of Vietnam, Mr. To Lam 10:30 12:00 14:00 15:30 17:00 18:30 19:00 |
| Thursday, November 19 | 09:30 Official photo. 09:40 12:10 14:00 14:30 15:00 17:25 22:20 |
| Friday, November 20 | 09:30 Meeting with the governor of Tokyo, Mrs. Yuriko Koike. 09:50 11:50 12:15 14:00 15:30 16:40 17:00 17:30 18:00 22:55 |
| Saturday November 21 | Arrival in Lima. |
