LIMA : Unhappy Anniversary

An intensified terrorist offensive by Maoist zealots of the Sendero Luminoso movement, a severe political crisis and an enduring economic depression will weigh on Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori as he begins his third year in office with a televised independence day speech today.

For the first time since 1980, a Peruvian leader will not address Congress on the country’s national day--Fujimori dissolved the legislature in April, complaining that politicking and corruption were obstructing his efforts to solve the country’s problems.

The Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) guerrilla offensive is seen as part of a campaign to disrupt elections Nov. 22 for an assembly that would rewrite Peru’s constitution. Fujimori scheduled the elections under international pressure to restore democracy, but a continuing political standoff has thrown the legitimacy of the planned ballot in doubt.