The Best Revenge for Peru

Tainted by human rights and corruption scandals, President Alberto Fujimori carefully got himself beyond the reach of Peruvian prosecution before abruptly resigning Monday. It will be up to Peru’s newly elected Congress, dominated by opposition politicians, to hold the nation’s economy and shaken democracy together.

Fujimori had announced he would resign before a new election April 8. However, as the cloud of corruption around former intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos deepened, the increasingly erratic Fujimori left the country amid speculation he might never come back. He is in Tokyo, where he is entitled to stay because of his Japan-born parents.

What matters now is that cool heads carry out a constitutional transition for Peru.

Fujimori’s 10-year tenure began with high promise as his regime moved against guerrillas who had largely stymied government control of the countryside. His handling of the economy, which was a shambles when he assumed power in 1990, drove inflation down from a withering 7,000% to under 4%. But Fujimori never shook off his authoritarian side. In 1992, he and a pliant army shut down Congress when legislators refused to let him govern by decree without congressional ratification. And he gave his spymaster, Montesinos, free rein to censor, intimidate, manipulate or close down free and independent media outlets.

When a president resigns, the constitution assigns the post to the first vice president, then to the second vice president and then to the president of Congress, who in this case is Valentin Paniagua, an untainted and moderate opposition leader who is the real new power of Peru. Both vice presidents have resigned, but there was speculation that one might retract his resignation and try to claim the presidency. In any case many Peruvians want to see the constitutional order of succession preserved.

The April elections should go forward, and in the meantime the interim regime should investigate how deeply Montesinos’ alleged corruption and human rights abuses penetrated the Fujimori administration. Though Fujimori himself may never be held accountable, the best revenge will be for Peru to retain and strengthen constitutional democracy.