“Peru is a democracy with style.”
Born/Died: July 28, 1938 - not dead yet
Dates in Power: July 28, 1990 - November 22, 2000
Hobbies other than dictating: Composing his own campaign jingles like “El Ritmo del Chino” (The Rhythm of the Chinaman”)
In 1990, dark horse candidate and T.V. personality Alberto Fujimori came out of nowhere to win Peru’s presidential election and become Latin America’s first chief executive of Asian descent. The former host of a public affairs roundtable displayed the winning media savvy and public relations acumen that would earn him two more electoral victories before a videotaped bribery scandal brought down his corrupt and morally bankrupt regime 10 years later.
Alberto Ken’ya Fujimori was born in Lima, Peru to Japanese immigrant parent in 1938. Two years after his surprise victory in 1990, Fujimori staged a dramatic autogolpe, or “self-coup,” dismissing an uncooperative Congress, suspending the constitution, and firing recalcitrant judges. Unchecked, he pushed ahead with a spate of neoliberal economic reforms and a brutal campaign against the Maoist guerilla insurgency Shining Path. An infamous government death squad, Groupo Colina, carried out dozens of politically motivated slaying- most notably the 1992 murders of nine students and a professor at Lima’s La Cantuta University. Citing high opinion ratings for his drastic policies, El Chino had a purged legislature rubber-stamp a new constitution in 1993 which allowed him to seek a second term.
Corruption ran rampant as millions in public monies were diverted to the Servicio de Intelligencia Nacional (SIN) to buy off politicians and judges or funneled directly to Fujimori’s reelection campaigns. His masterful use of government-controlled TV stations and tabloids to monopolize election coverage and libel opponents secured him a unprecedented third term in 2000. When videotapes surfaced later that year showing Fujimori’s bagman and head of the SIN Vladimiro Montesinos bribing a congressman, public support for the regime collapsed. Fujimori fled to his ancestral homeland of Japan and faxed his resignation from a Tokyo hotel.
Wanted in Peru, Alberto Fujimori was taken into custody during a trip to Chile in 2005 and extradited to face charges in Lima. He was later convicted of bribery, embezzlement, and murder for his role in the Groupo Colina murders and remains behind bars, despite pleading with the government to take pity on him due to his poor health.
Crimes & Misdemeanors: Alberto Fujimori embezzled millions of dollars during his decade-long reign over Peru. Bribery of public officials was common and he severely limited freedom of the press. Dozens of innocent people, including an 8-year old boy were killed during Fujimori’s overzealous suppression of the Shining Path.
Legacy: Fujimori’s daughter Keiko followed her father in politics, nearly winning the 2011 election.
Fun Fact: Fujimori divorced his wife Susana Higuchi, after she publicly denounced his regime, calling him a “tyrant.” She was stripped of her title of First Lady and
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