Fujimorism Fujimorismo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Alberto Fujimori, after whom Fujimorism is named | |
| Leader | Keiko Fujimori Martha Chavez Martha Hildebrandt Martha Moyano Luisa Maria Cuculiza |
| Founder | Alberto Fujimori |
| Founded | 1989; 36 years ago (1989) |
| Membership | |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing[1] |
| Colours | Orange Black |
| Seats in the Congress | 24 / 130 |
| Governorships | 0 / 25 |
| Party flag | |
 | |
Fujimorism (Spanish:Fujimorismo,Japanese:フジモリ主義,Hepburn:Fujimorishugi) is the policies and thepolitical ideology of formerPresident ofPeruAlberto Fujimori as well as thepersonality cult built around him, his policies and his family, especiallyKeiko Fujimori. The ideology is defined byauthoritarianism, its support forneoliberal economics, opposition tocommunism, andsocially andculturallyconservative stances such asopposition to LGBT rights and school curriculums includinggender equality orsex education.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Opponents of Fujimorism are known asanti-Fujimorists.
Since Alberto Fujimori's election, Fujimorism has continued to maintain influence throughout Peru's institutions with the assistance of the 1993 constitution, its neoliberal policies and the support ofextractivism.[10][11] Political involvement was largely deactivated until 2011 when it was brought back to the forefront by his children,Keiko andKenji, with Keiko's partyPopular Force controlling much of theCongress of the Republic of Peru from 2016 until 2020 through a system that was constitutionally drafted by her father.[12] Since then, Fujimorism has obtained control of the majority of Peru's governing bodies.[13]
The lack of a stable political-party system inPeru as well as in other countries ofLatin America has led many times to the emergence in the political arena of strong personalities without overt ideological affiliations.[14] Fujimori was elected president in the1990 election. Fujimori led the1992 Peruvian self-coup, ostensibly directed against domesticterrorists. Following the 1992 crisis, Fujimori would broaden the definition of terrorism in an effort to criminalize as many actions as possible to persecute left-wing political opponents.[11] Using theterruqueo, afearmongering tactic that was used to accuse opponents of terrorism, Fujimori established acult of personality by portraying himself as a hero and made left-wing ideologies an eternal enemy in Peru.[11] Political scientist Daniel Encinas stated that theterruqueo would evolve into conservative politicians using the attack to target those opposed to Fujimori's neoliberal economic policies and that the right-wing used the tactic as a "strategy of manipulating the legacy of political violence".[15][16]
In 1993, theConstitution of Peru was rewritten by Fujimori and his supporters and is currently used today. This constitution would later come to benefit Alberto Fujimori's children.[12]
Fujimori took refuge in Japan when faced with charges of corruption in 2000. On arriving in Japan, he attempted to resign his presidency viafax, but his resignation was rejected by theCongress of the Republic, which preferred to remove him from office by the process ofimpeachment. Fujimori maintained a self-imposed exile until he was arrested while visitingChile in November 2005.[17] He was extradited to face criminal charges in Peru in September 2007.[18] In December 2007, Fujimori was convicted of ordering anillegal search and seizure, and was sentenced to six years in prison.[19][20][21] The Supreme Court upheld the decision upon his appeal.[22] In April 2009, Fujimori was convicted of human rights violations and sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in killings and kidnappings by theGrupo Colinadeath squad during his government's battle against leftist guerrillas in the 1990s.
Following Fujimori's fall from power, his self-exile toJapan, hisextradition back to Peru and his subsequent trial and imprisonment, there emerged political parties that continued to proclaim to follow the legacy of Alberto Fujimori. The most prominent of these groups that formed in the aftermath of Alberto's downfall isPopular Force (Fuerza Popular), a political party that was created and is led by the former president's daughterKeiko Fujimori, apresidential candidate in 2011 andagain in 2016.
In March 2017, Popular Force blocked an investigation into alleged sexual abuse within the Catholic church using the justification that it was only intended as an attack on religion.[8]
As a result of the2016 Peruvian general election, Keiko Fujimori lost the presidential race, though her Popular Force party gained control of Peru's congress while economistPedro Pablo Kuczynski won the presidency.[12] Shortly after the election, Fujimorist congress immediately began to politically attack President Kuczynski, beginning two impeachment proceedings against the president;a failed attempt in 2017 andanother attempt in 2018.[12]
Shortly after the first impeachment vote failed,President Kuczynski pardoned Alberto Fujimori, with Kuczynski, citing Fujimori's health and age as the main reason for his pardoning.[23] Days before the second vote was to occur, Kenji Fujimori – who was then still part of his sister's party Popular Force – was involved in theKenjivideos scandal where he was seen attempting tobuy the votes in favor of President Kuczynski to avoid the president's impeachment.[24][25][26] As a result of the scandal, President Kuczynski resigned the presidency.
Following this series of events,First Vice President Martín Vizcarra was sworn into the presidency by the Fujimorist-led congress. During this ceremony, some Peruvians took to the streets to protest against the government, calling for the removal of all politicians.[27] Others have stated that the attacks against President Kuczynski was a conspiracy of the Fujimorists to gain control of Peru's political system once more. Soon after taking office, President Vizcarra made attempts to remove corruption within Peru, proposing a national referendum effort surrounding the country's legislative branch and election funding 28 July 2018.[28][29] On 3 October 2018, Alberto Fujimori's pardon was overturned by a Peruvian court[30] and a week later on 10 October 2018, Keiko Fujimori was detained by police as part of an investigation surrounding the Odebrecht scandal and money laundering allegations that involved her 2011 presidential campaign.[31] On 23 January 2019, Alberto Fujimori was sent back to prison to complete his sentence[32] with his pardon formally being annulled three weeks later on 13 February 2019.[33]
During their majority in congress, Fujimorists "earned a reputation as hardline obstructionists for blocking initiatives popular with Peruvians aimed at curbing the nation's rampant corruption" according to theAssociated Press.[34]
During the2021 Peruvian general election, the right-wing elite, business groups and the majority of media organizations in Peru collaborated with the campaign of Keiko Fujimori byappealing to fear when discussing political opponents.[35][36][37] Media organizations in Peru would use theterruqueo along withfake news in an effort to support Fujimori.[38]Reuters wrote thatEl Comercio, one of the largest media organizations in South America, "generally backed Fujimori".[39] AfterPedro Castillo was elected to the presidency, Fujimorists began to manipulate laws to prevent the dissolution of Congress and to solidify governing power within the legislature[40]in which they succeeded in 2023, while Castillo himself was removed from Presidency in December 2022 afterhis self-coup attempt.
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Fujimorism is characterized by itssocial conservatism and has been described as having traits ofauthoritarianism.[2][41] It is also known for strong opposition to left-wing andfar-left groups.[42][43] The principal foundations of the regime were staunchanti-communism, forcefulanti-terrorist actions, pro-free market policies and disregard for political institutions.[44] In terms of the decision-making process, a logic of closed and isolated decision-making at the top became the major characteristic of Fujimori governance.[45] Fujimorism is consideredneoliberal economically as it minimized the role of the state functions through privatizations of public companies and by signing contracts with transnational companies to support foreign investment in large sectors.[46] Peruvian sociologistAníbal Quijano has described Fujimorism to have "fascistic" traits, though he distinguishes it fromfascism due to its absence of anationalist character, the mythology which it sways multitudes and the mass mobilization usually seen inmass movements.[47]
Self-proclaimed Fujimorist parties and electoral coalitions includeCambio 90,New Majority,Sí Cumple,Peru 2000,Alliance for the Future (2006–2010),Popular Force (since 2010), andPeru Secure Homeland (since 2013). Beginning in the late 2010s, the far-right "neo-fascist" groupLa Resistencia Dios, Patria y Familia, with links toPopular Renewal, participated in protests to support Fujimorist causes.[48][49][50][51]
Keiko Fujimori's Popular Force has also allied with the conservative partiesAdvance Country ofHernando de Soto andPopular Renewal ofRafael López Aliaga, with the parties signing theMadrid Charter, an anti-leftist manifesto promoted by the right-wing Spanish partyVox.[52][53][54][55] Fujimorists have also allied themselves with leftist parties such asFree Peru, with the latter approaching Popular Force due to its power within governing institutions.[40]
Fujimorism was an unprecedented authoritarian political regime
terruqueo, ou seja, a construção artificial, racista e conveniente de um inimigo sociopolítico para deslegitimar formas de protesto social
The Fujimori campaign seized upon the Vizcatán massacre to reiterate the 'Castillo-as-extremist' narrative, pointing to alleged ties between Castillo and a Shining Path front group, MOVADEF, to suggest that Castillo bore some responsibility for the gruesome killings.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The deaths of the two young men led to a dispute over public space that prefigured the following months: the memorials erected spontaneously by citizens were repeatedly razed to the ground by the pro-Fujimori group La Resistencia, a far-right shock troop that months later would boast of shouting "no to communism" with the fascist gesture of the raised right arm during the second round between Keiko Fujimori (Fuerza Popular) and Pedro Castillo (Perú Libre).
neofascist groups like La Resistencia, with close ties to the fujimorista movement, have sought to intimidate government ministers, independent journalists and feminist activists.