Leadership in Myths

Statehood in Legends

One of the most adventurous and fascinating political lives in world history, which was a blend of statesmanship, populism, arrogance, corruption, crime, fear, and courage, came to an end with the death of Alberto Fujimori, the former president of Peru. His name is very familiar to those interested in international politics.

Fujimori was the child of immigrant families who started working in cotton fields in Lima, the capital of Peru. After education and promotion in administrative ranks, he rose to the presidency of the university. His rise to power for the presidential elections in Peru in 1990 was astonishing, and in the limited surveys of that year, there was no serious support for him. However, he ultimately triumphed over his main rival, becoming the president of his country, to the disbelief of many. His main rival, Mario Vargas Llosa, a famous poet and prominent figure in Latin American literature, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010, is definitely more well-known than him in Iran.

A country plagued by numerous crises, widespread crime and extensive violence to the extent that street bombings had become a norm, and an inflation rate of 8,000% was handed over to Fujimori, who gradually brought relative stability through extensive reforms. However, his autocratic approach led him to not only dissolve the country’s parliament but also remove and establish a new legislative structure that changed the constitution in his favor, enabling him to hold the presidency for two consecutive terms, and even the third term was facilitated by the same forces under his control. Exposed for corruption, he and his appointees were forced to flee Peru in 2000. He went to his homeland, Japan, and faxed his resignation.

After years, Fujimori entered Chile in 2006 to start a new movement for the presidential elections in Peru, but he was arrested by the authorities of that country and handed over to the Peruvian authorities. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison on various charges in court. Despite all his political efforts, he continued his stay in a special prison where he was held.

Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of a former Peruvian president, who is a congresswoman, has run for presidency three times and narrowly lost. These campaigns show the relative popularity of the Fujimori family in Peru. Alberto Fujimori had recently been pardoned due to his severe health condition.