Peru’s Fujimori Resigns

L I M A, Peru, Nov. 20, 2000 -- Peru’s President Alberto Fujimori, holed up in a hotel in Japan, has presented his resignation, the head of Congress said today.

“President Fujimori’s resignation letter has arrived,addressed to members of Congress,” Valentin Paniagua, anopposition figure elected head of parliament last week, told reporters.

“Congress will resolve the matter of this letter and theresignation request tomorrow,” he said.

He declined to give details. Fujimori has given no clueabout when — or if — he will return from Japan, his ancestral homeland.

Cornered by escalating charges of government corruption ina nine-week-old crisis that has rocked the country, Fujimori announced Sunday his intention to quit, leaving his Second Vice President Ricardo Marquez in charge. But Marquez has since resigned and will not take over Fujimori’s post.

“I’m doing it because I think my resignation will bringstability just at the right time,” Marquez, a Fujimori loyalistand vice-president since 1995, told reporters in thepresidential palace.

With Marquez quitting, the most likely scenario would befor the head of Congress, moderate opposition lawmaker ValentinPaniagua, to assume the presidency until scheduled generalelections in April, according to political analysts.

The other possibility would be for Peru’s FirstVice-President Francisco Tudela to take over. Although Tudelaresigned in October to protest the influence of ex-spy chiefVladimiro Montesinos in Peru, Congress never accepted hisresignation.

Many in the opposition favor Paniagua taking his place and have said they are preparing congressional moves to declare Fujimori morally unfit to rule, rather than accept his resignation.

Corruption Scandal

The resignation came amid a growing corruption scandal revolving around Fujimori’s fugitive ex-intelligence chief, Vladimiro Montesinos.

The scandal forced the 62-year-old Fujimori to announce in September that he would step down in July after new elections — ending a decade of iron-fisted rule.

Normally under the constitution, First Vice PresidentFrancisco Tudela would assume the presidency. But Tudela presented his resignation hours after Montesinos returned to Peru on Oct. 23 after a failed asylum bid in Panama. Tudela complained that Fujimori was not in control of Montesinos and his allies.

Marquez, had said he too would resign if Congress — which last week came under opposition control for the first time since 1992 — took measures to remove Fujimori. But on Sunday he said that Fujimori asked him not to quit.

Next in line for succession after the second vice president is the Congress president — Valentin Paniagua a political moderate who was installed last week by opposition legislators.

Trip Prompted Rumors

Fujimori’s trip abroad prompted a wave of rumors that he would step down and seek asylum. He was criticized for leaving Peru to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Brunei last week.

On Friday, he made an unannounced detour to Japan, canceling a planned trip to Panama this weekend where Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking leaders held an Ibero-American summit.

At first Japanese officials said he was in the country only for a layover to change planes, then Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Fujimori would stay longer than planned because he had a cold.

But later Saturday, the Peruvian government announced Fujimori planned to remain in Tokyo until Wednesday to negotiate loans to ease Peru’s financial problems.

Apparently Incriminating Video

Fujimori’s grip on power began to fall apart after Montesinos, his longtime top aide, was shown in a video leaked to the media apparently bribing an opposition lawmaker to support the government.

Montesinos fled to Panama but was denied asylum and returned to Peru.

Since then, Fujimori has led an unsuccessful manhunt for Montesinos, who is wanted for alleged money-laundering after Swiss authorities froze $48 million in accounts linked to the former spymaster. The amount under investigation swelled to $58 million after other accounts were discovered in the Cayman Islands, Uruguay and New York, authorities said.

Montesinos faces criminal complaints in Peru ranging from money laundering and directing state-sponsored death squads and torture to skimming profits from narcotics trades during his 10 years as Fujimori’s top aide.

Despite Montesinos’ dark reputation, Fujimori for years defended their close relationship, insisting Montesinos proved highly effective in helping to defeat leftist rebels and undercut narcotics trafficking.

Fujimori, who first came to power in 1990, was born to Japanese immigrant parents who picked cotton in Peru until they opened a tailor’s shop in downtown Lima.

The president has maintained strong ties to Japan. His son, Hiro, lives there, as do his sister and brother-in-law, Victor Aritomi, Peru’s ambassador to the country.

EU Urges Respect for Democracy

European Union foreign ministers today urged Peru’s authorities to uphold democratic values following Fujimori’s resignation.

“The European Union appeals to the sense of responsibilityof the political and social leaders and hopes, with the Peruvian people, that they express their commitment to democratic institutions and their support for constitutional order,” the ministers said in a statement after a regular monthly meeting.

They said this would facilitate a peaceful transition ofpower in Peru and would keep elections on track.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.