Peru’s New Military Chiefs Take Posts After Ousters

Three new chiefs of Peru’s armed forces pledged to respect the constitution and civilian authority Wednesday, taking office after their predecessors were forced out.

Lt. Gen. Miguel Medina became the new head of the air force, Vice Adm. Luis Vargas will command the navy, and Gen. Jose Cacho will head the army.

The three previous commanders resigned Tuesday for signing a document endorsing former President Alberto Fujimori’s 1992 “self-coup,” in which he sent troops to dissolve the opposition-controlled legislature and temporarily close the courts.

“My objective will be to raise the morale of our personnel, and I am committed to recuperating the solid respect that our institution always deserved,” said Medina, who also was selected to head the military Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Interim President Valentin Paniagua announced in a TV address late Tuesday that he had accepted the resignations of air force Gen. Pablo Carbone, navy Adm. Victor Ramos and army Gen. Carlos Tafur.

Paniagua had appointed them in November as part of a shake-up to purge the military of high-ranking officers loyal to Fujimori’s fugitive former intelligence chief, Vladimiro Montesinos.

But then, two days before Peru’s April 8 elections, Congress released videos from March 1999 showing hundreds of officers, from generals to captains, signing documents supporting Fujimori’s 1992 action against the legislature and courts.

The videos prompted several influential lawmakers to demand the military chiefs’ ouster.

Montesinos is said to have even secretly filmed military chiefs in sexually compromising situations.

The mass document signing, overseen by Montesinos and his cronies, appeared to be a calculated move to consolidate power ahead of Fujimori’s fraudulent bid last year for a third five-year term.

Fujimori’s 10-year rule ended in November after he fled to Japan.