Picture this: it’s July 2011. After spending several years in prison for human rights violations and other crimes, former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori is about to walk out of his cell a free man. Some of his countrymen celebrate the liberating of the man seen as Peru’s savior against guerilla violence and a woeful economy. Others protest against the figure that during his ten years of presidency championed repression and corruption on a massive scale. As he departs the prison amidst a divided populace he gives thanks to the one person who was instrumental in granting him a pardon: his daughter Keiko who was recently inaugurated as Peru’s president.The above scenario could easily be reality in approximately one year’s time should Keiko Fujimori become Peru’s next president. One poll conducted earlier this month showed that the congresswoman was behind Lima mayor Luis Castaneda Lossio by a slim 1%. But an Ipsos Apoyo poll conducted last week showed her leapfrogging Castaneda by 2% as the top choice for president. Her 22% support was not enough to avoid a statistical dead heat yet the poll indicated that she has received increased popularity in all regions including Lima.
Fears of a resurgence between Peru’s Shining Path and Tupac Amaru rebel groups as well as the May release of Lori Berenson could explain Fujimori’s growing support according to Ipsos. Additionally, Castaneda has been hit with allegations of corruption and problems with the start of Lima’s new public transit system.
With nine months until the elections Keiko could capitalize on supporters of her disgraced father:
In May Keiko Fujimori announced her candidacy representing the pro-Fujimori Fuerza 2011 and using as symbol the letter ‘K’…Her main pledge is to free her dad whom she feels was “condemned as revenge by his political enemies.”Image- Peru 21
Online Sources- AFP, EFE, Living in Peru, Miami Herald, Bloomberg, Angus Reid Consultants,
3 comments:
since my wife is from peru and I lived in peru for some time, (we just got back from spending the whole month of feb. visiting family,)
many people take the view that maybe some of what he did was wrong but the bottom line was that if the shinning path and other communists who were blowing people up all over and executing people were not viciously rooted out they would turn the country into a killing field. whichwould have brought hundreds of thousands of deaths like in other countries they saw leftist insurgencies fight guerrilla wars. I never met any peruvians who at the least were not privatley relieved that fujimori brought it to a halt before it gained traction.
my wife remembers the fear of being in public wondering if a bomb would go off, set by the communist rebels.
peru needs keiko her ties to the us will be a big help
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