Fujimori, Alberto

Fujimori, Alberto

In 1992 he suspended congress and the courts and declared emergency rule to combat corruption and the Shining Path terrorism. Under strong international pressure, he announced elections to a new congress, but these were boycotted by the principal opposition parties. A break with his wife, Susana Higuchi, a civil engineer, led to her abortive attempt (1994) to contest his bid for reelection; they were divorced in 1995. In the presidential election (1995), he defeated Javier Pérez de CuéllarPérez de Cuéllar, Javier,
1920–, Peruvian diplomat, secretary-general of the United Nations (1982–92). He entered the Peruvian foreign service in 1940 and served in several posts, including ambassador to the USSR (1969–71) and the United Nations
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Despite high popularity ratings from the Peruvian public, Fujimori was widely criticized for autocratic rule and suppression of opposition voices. He retained office in the 2000 presidential election after Alejandro Toledo ManriqueToledo Manrique, Alejandro,
1946–, Peruvian political leader, president of Peru (2001–6). Toledo, who has indigenous Andean roots, was born into poverty in rural Peru and grew up in the port city of Chimbote.
..... Click the link for more information.  withdrew from the May runoff because of the expectation of fraud; in April, the election commission had been accused by observers of trying to steal the election in the first round. After his chief adviser, Vladimiro Montesinos, was accused of bribing opposition lawmakers in September, Fujimori offered to hold new presidential elections in which he would not run, but he ultimately resigned in November while traveling in Japan. He remained in exile in Japan, and the Japanese government subsequently recognized him as a Japanese citizen.

Charged by the Peruvian congress with dereliction of duty for failing to return, he also had a variety of Peruvian criminal charges filed against him, and was banned from holding elected office until 2010. In 2005 he visited Chile as a prelude to launching a bid for the Peruvian presidency and was detained at the government of Peru's request; a subsequent attempt to register him as a Peruvian presidential candidate was denied. In Sept., 2007, following a prosecutor's recommendation, the Chilean courts approved his extradition to Peru. Despite being placed under house arrest during the court proceedings, he was an unsuccessful candidate for Japan's Diet in July, 2007. In Dec., 2007, he was convicted in Peru of ordering an illegal search in 2000. In 2009 he was also convicted separately on human rights and bribery charges and pleaded guilty to wiretapping and embezzlement charges arising from the 2000 election; in 2015 he wasconvicted of diverting government funds in the 2000 election. In 2017 he was pardoned, ostensibly for health reasons, by President Kuczynski, but Kuczynski had recently survived an impeachment attempt by supported by Keiko FujimoriFujimori, Keiko
(Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi), 1975–, Peruvian political leader, daughter of President Alberto Fujimori. She attended Boston Univ. and Columbia Business School, then served in the Peruvian congress (2006–2011), and became the leader of the
..... Click the link for more information.  (Alberto's daughter) that had been frustrated by a faction aligned with Kenji Fujimori (his son). The pardon was overturned by the supreme court in 2018.