Alberto Fujimori, Convicted Ex-President, Passes Away at 86

Alberto Fujimori

Ex-Peru President Fujimori Dies at 86

Alberto Fujimori, who ruled Peru with a increasingly iron-fisted grip from 1990 to 2000...

Alberto Fujimori, former President of Peru, dies at 86, leaving behind a complex legacy of economic reform and authoritarianism, marked by both achievements and human rights abuses.

Alberto Fujimori, the former President of Peru, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 86 in Lima, the country's capital. His daughter, Keiko Fujimori, announced his death in a post on social media.

Alberto Fujimori's presidency, which spanned a decade, was marked by both significant achievements and egregious abuses of power. Initially, he successfully stabilized Peru's economy and defeated a violent insurgency. However, his tenure ultimately ended in scandal, characterized by authoritarianism and human rights violations, leading to his imprisonment.

After being pardoned in December for his convictions on corruption and complicity in 25 killings, former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is making a surprise bid to return to power. His daughter announced in July that he intends to run for president again in 2026, seeking an unprecedented fourth term despite his checkered past.

Alberto Fujimori, who ruled Peru with a increasingly iron-fisted grip from 1990 to 2000, received a pardon in December for his convictions on corruption charges and complicity in the murder of 25 people. Despite this, he had planned to make a political comeback, with his daughter announcing in July his intention to run for the presidency for a fourth time in 2026.

Fujimori's rise to power was a remarkable one. A former university president and mathematics professor, he was a political unknown when he won the 1990 election against renowned writer Mario Vargas Llosa. This outsider status helped him tap into widespread discontent, but his subsequent actions often polarized the nation.

Throughout his tumultuous career, Fujimori consistently took bold - and sometimes reckless - decisions, earning him both fervent support and fierce criticism. His leadership was marked by contradictions, leaving a complex legacy that continues to divide Peru.

When Fujimori assumed power in 1990, Peru was in chaos, plagued by hyperinflation and guerrilla warfare. He implemented drastic measures to stabilize the economy, including large-scale privatization of state-owned industries, which yielded positive results. Additionally, his efforts to defeat the radical Shining Path rebels, although slow, ultimately earned him widespread acclaim.

However, Fujimori's presidency came crashing down in a dramatic fashion. After dissolving Congress and controversially securing a third term, his regime was rocked by scandal. Leaked videotapes exposed his intelligence chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, bribing lawmakers, forcing Fujimori to flee Peru in 2000. In a bizarre finale, he resigned via fax from Japan, the birthplace of his parents, marking a humiliating end to his tenure.

In a stunning turn of events, Fujimori fled to Chile in 2005, only to be arrested and extradited back to Peru, dashing his hopes of running for president in 2006. Instead, he found himself facing trial for abuse of power, a gamble that would ultimately backfire.

Fujimori's downfall was historic. He became the first former head of state to be tried and convicted in his own country for human rights abuses. Although he was not found to have directly ordered the 25 extrajudicial killings, he was held accountable for the atrocities committed under his government's watch.

 Despite serving a 25-year prison sentence, Fujimori continued to plot his political comeback from his specially built prison quarters within a police academy on the outskirts of Lima, Peru's capital city.

Fujimori's daughter, Keiko, a congresswoman, carried the torch for the family's political ambitions. She made three presidential bids - in 2011, 2016, and 2021 - with the latter being the closest, losing by a mere 44,000 votes. Her 2021 campaign centered on a promise to secure her father's release. This move was consistent with Fujimori's own approach to politics, which he described in 2000 as treating rivals like chess pieces to be outmaneuvered with calculated detachment.

Fujimori's presidency was a stark example of authoritarianism, embodying the Latin American phenomenon of “caudillismo.” His rule was marked by a blatant disregard for democratic norms, a troubling development in a region transitioning from dictatorships to democracy.

Fujimori is survived by his four children, who have also been involved in politics. His eldest, Keiko, assumed the role of first lady in 1996 after her parents' contentious divorce. Her mother, Susana Higuchi, accused Fujimori of orchestrating her torture during the divorce proceedings. Fujimori's youngest child, Kenji, followed in his father's footsteps and was elected to Congress.

Fujimori was born on July 28, 1938, coinciding with Peru's Independence Day. His parents, Japanese immigrants, worked as cotton pickers before eventually establishing a tailor's shop in downtown Lima, laying the foundation for their son's eventual rise to power.

Fujimori's academic journey began with a degree in agricultural engineering in 1956. He then pursued further studies abroad, earning a graduate degree in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin in 1972, after spending time in France.

Fujimori's entry into politics was unconventional. Despite lacking prior political experience, he became the rector of the Agricultural University in Lima in 1984. Six years later, he launched a presidential bid, positioning himself as a fresh, corruption-free alternative to Peru's discredited political establishment. He leveraged his Asian heritage, tapping into the Peruvian perception of Asians as honest and hardworking, to build support. Additionally, he promised to secure Japanese investment and technology, resonating with a nation struggling economically.

In a stunning turnaround, Fujimori surged from a mere 6% in the polls just a month before the 1990 election to secure the second-highest number of votes out of nine candidates. He then went on to defeat the favored candidate, Mario Vargas Llosa, in a runoff election.

Fujimori later reflected that his unexpected victory was fueled by the same widespread frustration and discontent that had driven support for the radical Shining Path guerrilla movement. He tapped into the public's desire for change and their disillusionment with the political establishment, harnessing that energy to propel himself into the presidency.