Almost three months after his release from prison following a controversial Constitutional Court ruling, Alberto Fujimori, the agricultural engineer who established an authoritarian regime in Peru in the 1990s, officially returned to the political arena with a few offhand statements. After spending several hours in the emergency room at a local clinic a week ago because of dizziness and a drop in blood pressure, he declined to comment on the situation, saying he was “more focused” on his health. ” In response to the questions, he even joked, “I’ve already forgotten about that.” [de la polÃtica]†.
It only took a few days for the Fujimori clan patriarch to change his mind. In a short interview with the Willax television channel, he spoke on behalf of Fujimorism and the Fuerza Popular party, as spokesman for the group and at the same time as spokesman for the opposition. The biggest thing: He confirmed an alliance with the executive and an agreement for Dina Boluarte at the end of her mandate. Regarding the possibility of an early election, he said: “It is not justified. President Dina Boluarte's government will last until 2026. At least Fuerza Popular and Fujimori agreed to this.”
The head of state, who assumed the presidency after Pedro Castillo's failed self-coup, defended the release of Fujimori, who did not serve his 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity when he was found to be the direct author of the massacres. from Barrios Altos and La Cantuta. And he did so in contradiction to the express order of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. “We respect the institutions of the rule of law and democracy.” “The release of Mr. Fujimori fits into this legal framework with regard to the autonomy of the country's institutions,” the Constitutional Court justified the ruling last December.
With his nasal tube and his oxygen balloon, Alberto Fujimori established the position of the Fuerza Popular party regarding the next elections: they will try again to gain power, although he did not confirm whether his main letter will be his daughter Keiko, who he has his Burnt bread on the oven door three times: He came in a close second in the last three elections. “It is too early to make decisions, but we will do it in due course.” “What will be done is that Fujimorism is always present because there is an audience,” he said with a smile.
Alberto Fujimorismo is 85 years old and in poor health, as those around him have reiterated on countless occasions. It is very unlikely that he will run for president, but the fact that he has not ruled it out at least sends a message. Asked whether his son Kenji, a former congressman, was a real option for the Orange Party, he said briefly: “He doesn't think much about politics.”
On the other hand, the former autocrat expressed his opinion on Vladimiro Montesinos, his closest advisor during his government, who last month acknowledged his guilt in the Pativilca massacre, in which six citizens were murdered in 1992 for alleged terrorist murders. For political analysts, this act has direct implications for the responsibility of Fujimori, who was charged in the same case. “Well, everyone makes their mistakes, right? But it fulfilled its function. He worked in intelligence and did well. “In the end, the money made him dizzy,” the former president said, citing Montesinos' criminal mistakes while eliminating his own.
The journalist Glatzer Tuesta assumes that his statements will have consequences. “In addition to the fact that they are keeping him outside of an express ruling by the Inter-American Court that this is contrary to access to justice, he is practicing politics in such a gross manner.” He goes back inside. I feel like that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”
Regarding his pardon, which caused so much controversy, he concluded by saying that it was “entirely justified and duly supported by the Constitutional Court in all aspects.” Almost three months after his release, the man who put Peru in the spotlight is standing reigned in the ring again in the 1990s.
Follow all the information from El PAÍS América on Facebook and Xor in our weekly newsletter.