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| ALBERTO FUJIMORI | |
 September 6, 2000  |
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Peru's President Alberto Fujimori discusses his unprecedented re-election to serve as that country's president for a third term.
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ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Six weeks ago in Lima, this was
the scene inside the Peruvian congress: Applause and accolades for President
Alberto Fujimori, as he was sworn in for his third term in office. This
was the scene outside: Thousands of people protesting the election,
which they said was rigged by Fujimori. ALEJANDRO TOLEDO: We have here a new style of government in which a
combination of a military apparatus with intelligent service in ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: The Organization of American States withdrew its election monitors before the runoff, charging conditions for a fair vote were lacking. The OAS position was shared by the United States. PHILIP REEKER: What we believe is that in view of the Peruvian government's refusal to accommodate what are well-documented concerns of the OAS, that the process could not be free and fair, that Sunday's electoral process in Peru was obviously flawed. ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Ultimately, the OAS did not rule the elections invalid. But the organization is currently brokering a series of meetings between the opposition and the government on the question of democratic reforms. CESAR GAVIRIA, Secretary General, OAS (speaking through interpreter): The most important part of this exercise is not only democratic reforms, but the government and the opposition making the effort to understand each other and participate together in the transformation of the institutions.
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| Reforming Peru's government | ||||||||||||||||||||
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PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI: Thank you for the invitation. ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Would you bring us up to date please, on the discussions about political reform between your government and the opposition? PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI: Yes. We are all working very hard with the best will to reform the political, first time create more harmony between the government opposition and the civilian society. That was one of my goal in my new period in the first two periods everybody now said that you have shown in the, at the beginning of this program that we defeated two terrorist groups -- hyper-inflation. We make the peace with Ecuador after 170 years and solved many problems. Now the big challenge is to strengthen the democracy. ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Could you tell us, Mr. President, how you plan to strengthen the democracy? What kind of reforms are you willing to make?
ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Could you tell us specifically what reform? For example, I know the OAS has talked about taking measures to ensure more civilian control over the military and the intelligence service, they've talked about more independence for the media. What kind of reforms are you talking about? PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI: Well, I would say that the military in Peru, the armed forces, is under the power of the president. This is with total control, and the intelligence service work in fact silently, as in many parts of the world, so that they can have the internal security, external security. Now, there's many criticism about the military and the intelligence services, but I have to say that they cooperate to solve those big problems like terrorism, which is part of the original security. Now, certainly we need now to reallocate the intelligence services and the military force for this new situation where there's much internal problem -- internal security problem. ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: We need to change it, is that what you mean? I missed that word. What do you need to do to the military and the intelligence service, did you say? PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI: Pardon me? ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: You said you need to change them in some way because of the changes in Peru, is that right? I missed the word you used. PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI: Yes. This is part of the agenda with the OAS, opposition government and the social, and the civil society, and we're working on this process. |
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| Election backlash? | ||||||||||||||||||||
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ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Okay, I understand now. Thank you. Mr. President, how damaged is Peru by the controversial election and all that has happened since? I noticed that the Financial Times, for example, and The Economist are reporting greatly lowered foreign investment figures, for example. What is your judgment about how damaged Peru has been? PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI: In fact, I have to say that the OAS didn't find any sign of fraud, and the election process was certainly was with several observations, but investors usually in electoral periods, they don't make a decision. The level of the confidence of the Peruvian economy is the same as before, and the prospects for the future is good. The legislation, the confidence and the guarantee for the investor, also local investor are so sure we expect that they will come back again -- a big hotel for example -- in Lima, and they are coming, participating in investment, in concession, in privatization, and I expect we will recover our economy. ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: Mr. President, how do you characterize your government or your style of governing? We just heard what Alejandro Toledo said about your government in the setup piece, and academics and journalists here, some have said that you have a new style of government, that it's not a dictatorship, but it's quite authoritarian with some forms of democracy. How do you answer that characterization?
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| The Lori Berenson Case | ||||||||||||||||||||
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ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And on the Lori Berenson case a high military court has annulled her life sentence and she will apparently be retried in a civilian court. Why the change? What happened here? PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI: I have tried to explain that in Peru there are two ways: One is the case for the leaders of terrorist movement and those who attempt with car bombing, for example; those are going before the military court, which is constitutional. And the second one, those who are fighting ranks of terrorism, in case of Lori Berenson and some other sympathizers, it's supposed to be that they were attempting to the Peruvian congress before the Japanese assault residence, and the military court found that she was not a leader of the MRTA Movement. So they decided to unify this sentence and they passed to the civil court, which is usual. This is not the first time. ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: And President Fujimori, we have little time left, but what's your goal while you're here. I know you're giving some speeches and meeting with some groups. What do you hope to do while you're in the United States? PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI: Well, aside from participating in this millennium symposium, I expect to convey to the United States the public opinion that Peru has a democracy which is being strengthening, we have tranquility, there is a climate for investment, for making tourism, and so you are invited to come to see firsthand that Peru is a nice country with future and good to the regional security. ELIZABETH FARNSWORTH: All right, Mr. President, thank you for being with us. PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI: Thank you for the invitation. |
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During
the riots, a national bank was set on fire. Six people trapped inside
died. The Fujimori government and the main opposition party blamed each
other for the blaze. President Fujimori's victory came after a runoff.
In the first round, he failed to garner a majority. During the runoff
campaign, he faced stiff opposition from, Alejandro Toledo, a U.S.-trained
economist. But Toledo pulled out a week before the balloting and asked
his supporters to boycott the election. He warned of electoral fraud.
On the NewsHour, Toledo gave his view of the Fujimori government. 
complicity
with the government have created a monopoly of political institutions,
they have captured legislative branch, the judicial system, the electoral
board, the communication medium, the armed forces. 
ELIZABETH
FARNSWORTH: President Fujimori, a former college dean, was first elected
in 1990. In the early years, he received credit for boosting economic
growth and for holding down inflation which once ran at 7,500 percent
annually. In 1997, he sent troops to storm the Japanese ambassador's
Lima residence, which had been occupied by a guerrilla group known as
the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. The soldiers freed 71 hostages
and killed all 14 rebels. One alleged sympathizer of Tupac Amaru was
an American, Lori Berenson. In 1996, she was convicted of terrorism,
which she denied, and received a life sentence. Peru's top military
court annulled her sentence last week, and she will be retried in a
civilian court. In recent years, the Fujimori government has pardoned
more than 1,000 convicted terrorists.
ELIZABETH
FARNSWORTH: President Fujimori joins us now. Welcome, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT
ALBERTO FUJIMORI: For example, we have, in fact 29 points that we agree
with OAS, and we are working in several commissions and this is going
on. There is the best will from our part, we have the majority in the
Congress, that's part of the democracy, and we expect that everybody,
most of the majority of the Peruvian would be satisfied with the reform.
PRESIDENT
ALBERTO FUJIMORI: I've been elected three times with the majority of
the population -- the second time in 1995 by 64 to 22, this time by--
in the runoff by 51 percent, and during these last ten years I used
to keep an approval rating more than 50 percent. We took problems that
political parties before didn't want to overcome, and we solved all
these problems. Now, this type of leadership, I think, is based on efficiency
and results and that counts for the people, and people is benefiting
for this open market economy that we are pushing ahead, and we have...
we want not only to strengthen the democratic institution of which is
very important, that's one of my targets, but the second one is to improve
people condition and give them the same opportunity for everybody. 
