October 2026
7.1 The premises, corrected
| Premise | Finding | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Keiko Fujimori governs Peru | Correct. The JNE proclaimed her on 3 Jul 2026 after the 7 Jun runoff: Fuerza Popular 9,223,396 votes against Juntos por el Perú (Roberto Sánchez) 9,173,755, a margin of 49,641. She was sworn in on 28 Jul 2026. ONPE gives the shares as 50.135% to 49.865%. Luis Galarreta is first VP and Prime Minister. | [V] JNE; [V] Congreso; percentages [V-s] (ONPE timed out) |
| The Colombian president is aligned with Washington and Israel | Correct. Abelardo de la Espriella took office on 7 Aug 2026 after a Trump-endorsed campaign. Relations with Israel were formally restored in August 2026. The free-trade agreement Petro had suspended was reinstated on 13 Oct. An embassy in Jerusalem opened on 14 Oct 2026, the 10th worldwide. The ambassador is Tania Gilinski. De la Espriella says he had promised the embassy "desde la campaña". | [V] Cancillería; [V] Reuters via Al-Monitor; [V] El País Cali |
| The region is "increasingly surrounded" by governments aligned with Washington and Israel | Largely correct for Washington. Uneven for Israel (see 7.2). Peru has contacts only. Argentina has promised but not opened a Jerusalem embassy. Venezuela has consular ties only. El Salvador has no embassy move or designation. Mexico, Uruguay and Brazil (until the 25 Oct runoff) are not aligned. | see 7.2 |
| The new governments designated Hamas and Hezbollah | Mostly not. Colombia designated Hezbollah in Jan 2020 (under Duque, not De la Espriella). It designated the IRGC on 24 Sept 2026. It has not designated Hamas; the earlier research note wrongly implied it had. Peru made no designation. Its government is asking Congress for delegated powers to create a domestic "Registro de organizaciones criminales clasificadas como terroristas". | [V] Cancillería, IRGC; [V] Isaac Accords chart (undated, likely 2025); [V] PCM Peru; 2020 date [R] |
| Evangelicals elected these presidents | Overstated. Baylor Religion Watch: Colombia's evangelicals (about 16%) were "a strong base", with megachurch and party backing, but "there is no data on the percentage of evangelicals who voted for him". In Peru, evangelicals first won a legislative foothold "on the coattails of Alberto Fujimori" in 1990, with mixed results since (Boas). That describes leaders and parties, not a measured rank-and-file vote. | [V] Baylor; [V] Boas |