In the biggest public rally yet against the president, more than 5,000 demonstrators marched through downtown Lima on Thursday to protest the government's alleged telephone espionage and its decision to strip a prominent Peruvian of his citizenship.
The scandal has led to complaints by politicians, lawyers and businessmen that Peru's democracy and freedom of the press are under attack by the government. Meanwhile, three Cabinet members resigned Thursday, bringing to five the number of ministers who have quit their posts as the scandal deepened this week.
Fujimori struck back at his critics during a military ceremony Thursday, accusing them of mounting a political campaign to discredit his government. He denied that intelligence services were involved in telephone eavesdropping and said his government had brought economic stability to Peru. Amid the unrest, Peru's military endorsed Fujimori: "The members of the armed forces and national police want to emphatically express their subordination, loyalty and disciplined support for the president", said armed forces chief Gen. Nicolas Hermoza.
Fujimori's close ties to the military date to his 1992 coup, when it backed him in closing Congress and the courts. At the time, he said the moves were necessary to fight leftist rebel insurgencies and resurrect the economy. Fujimori was re-elected by a wide margin in 1995 along with a pro-government Congress. The Cabinet shakeup began on Wednesday with the resignations of the foreign and defense ministers, and continued Thursday as the heads of the interior, justice and fisheries ministries quit their posts. The harshest blow to the government was the loss of Foreign Minister Francisco Tudela, a hero during the recent hostage crisis and one of Fujimori's most respected ministers. Tudela said he resigned for personal reasons. But news reports said he was upset by allegations the government had spied on leading Peruvians, and by the government's decision to strip Baruch Ivcher, an Israel native, of his citizenship. The government is accused of targeting the media owner because his station aired reports linking the military to torture and corruption.
Police attempted to break up Thursday's demonstration by firing water cannons but protesters refused to disperse. No serious injuries were reported. "We are protesting this anti-democratic government, which has started a frontal assault on press freedom and democratic institutions in Peru", said sculptor and political activist Victor Delfin.
The rage at the government erupted Sunday when Ivcher's station, Channel 2, released transcripts of 197 telephone conversations involving journalists, politicians and businessmen, allegedly taped by intelligence operatives. Later the same day, the government stripped Ivcher of his Peruvian citizenship, saying it had found irregularities in his 1984 nationalization and that he had never renounced his Israeli citizenship. Ivcher denied the claims, and accused the government of seeking revenge for the damaging reports broadcast by his station. Tudela was replaced by Eduardo Ferrero Costa, an expert on international law. Ferrero Costa said Peru's relations with the United States will not be affected by recent statements by U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns, who expressed his government's concern over the decision to strip Ivcher of his citizenship.
"Peru's relations with the United States are very broad", he told reporters. "One aspect shouldn't hurt these relations." The new justice minister is Alfredo Quispe Correa, who replaced Carlos Hermoza Moya. Ludwig Meir Cornejo replaced outgoing Fisheries Minister Carlos Ernesto Boggiano. The new interior minister is Gen. Jose Villanueva. Defense Minister Gen. Tomas Castillo was replaced by Gen. Cesar Saucedo, who resigned from the interior ministry to take the defense post.
Public approval of Fujimori's government has plummeted to 23 percent, down from 67 percent the day after the hostages were rescued, according to the poll conducted by the respected company Apoyo. Apoyo polled 414 people in Lima on Tuesday with a margin for error of 5 percentage points. The falling ratings may, in part, reflect anger over the government's decision to strip a television station owner, an Israel native, of his citizenship. While the government claims there were problems with Baruch Ivcher's immigration papers, he contends the government wanted to penalize him for Channel 2 reports linking the armed forces to torture, corruption and telephone espionage. In Washington, State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns on Tuesday criticized the decision by Fujimori's government. Economic problems also appear to be undermining Fujimori's popularity. The country's growth, the highest in Latin America between 1993 and 1996, has slowed. And the government has been able to do little to ease the plight of the poor. According to government records, half Peru's population of 22 million lives in poverty.
Radio reports have suggested that displeasure with Fujimori may spur further Cabinet resignations.
"Beaten down by the opinion polls, Fujimori plans to abandon the tight fiscal policies demanded by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, in an attempt to recover the votes of the poorest sector, with his sights set on the elections of the year 2000", commented sociologist Imelda Vega. Fujimori has not officially announced his decision to seek a second consecutive reelection, which is prohibited by the constitution and would depend on reforms, although he has admitted that he is looking for "a legal window" that would permit him to present himself as a candidate.
Since his return last week from a brief visit to the Vatican, the president has remained mum on the country's political situation, marked lately by a wave of denunciations of crimes and torture committed by members of the intelligence services.
The allegations added to the wear-and-tear of his economic programme - especially in the sensitive area of unemployment - signs of a resurgence of guerrilla activity and irregularities committed to make a second consecutive reelection possible. All these elements led to a plunge in his popularity, from 65 percent in January to 34 percent in early June, according to opinion polls.
The recent allegations of human rights abuses by the intelligence services have highlighted a problem that dates back to three years ago: reports of a clandestine sector of intelligence that leaks inside information, hostile to members of the services, to the press.
The group's operation has given rise to talk of a conspiracy. Over the past two weeks, several analysts have warned of the dangers of a military coup. According to Manuel D'Ornellas, editor-in-chief of the pro-government daily 'Expreso', "there are opposition parties knocking on the doors of the army, seeking to promote a military coup." Fujimori, originally a political unknown who defeated the candidates of Peru's traditional parties in two consecutive elections, governs on the basis of firm support from the armed forces chiefs, who in 1992 backed his decision to illegally dissolve parliament and call new elections.
Opposition analysts say Fujimori underestimates the efficacy of the media, pointing out that he believes the messages of the opposition press and speeches of political opponents do not reach inhabitants of poor urban areas and rural communities in the mountains. During a debate on the role of the press in the recent crisis of the hostages held by a guerrilla commando in the Japanese Embassy, an air force colonel said "the opinion of the non-governmental organisations and international bodies is unknown to the majority of the Peruvian population. "That mass, which makes up the majority of voters and is steeped in extreme poverty, does not read newspapers or watch television. Their basic concern is receiving food aid until they can find jobs", said the officer, who preferred to remain anonymous.
Analysts say the drop in Fujimori's popularity is largely due to the high unemployment level and reports of human rights violations. The president's image was also affected by the hostage crisis, which dragged on from Dec. 17 to Apr. 22. The military rescue operation gave his popularity a brief boost, but was unsuccessful in clearing up doubts as to the definitive defeat of the insurgents, which had been previously - and prematurely - announced by Fujimori. And in less than two weeks his popularity set out once again on its downward trend. "Fujimori has abandoned his over-confidence, which led him to commit errors and talk too much, and has once again become an astute, cautious politician who prepares his moves in the shadows when he finds himself in trouble", said sociologist Flavio Solorzano, commenting on the announced social investment programme.
