No Forgiveness For Fujimori.(Alberto Fujimori resigns)(Brief Article)(Interview)

In 1990 novelist Mario Vargas Llosa lost his bid for the presidency of Peru to Alberto Fujimori. After Fujimori's 1992 "self-coup," in which he shut down Congress and suspended the Constitution, Vargas Llosa became a virulent critic of the regime. The public branded him a traitor, while Fujimori enjoyed high approval ratings, primarily for bringing down inflation and containing the Maoist guerrillas of the Shining Path. Last May Fujimori was elected to his third term after an election rife with charges of fraud. In September, a videotape was released that showed Vladimiro Montesinos, Fujimori's chief of intelligence, bribing a congressman. Fujimori left the country and resigned the presidency. Montesinos fled, too, and was last seen in Venezuela. NEWSWEEK's Michael J. Agovino spoke with Vargas Llosa by phone from Lima about the situation in his country. Excerpts:

AGOVINO: What's the mood in Peru right now?

VARGAS LLOSA: There is an incredible freedom. The most radical change has been the opening of the press. Six months ago people were still extremely afraid, but now everybody's talking--as it should be.

In 1997 you predicted that the 2000 election in Peru would be fraudulent. But did you ever envision the whole mess that unfolded?

We have a very long tradition of totalitarian regimes and we know exactly what happens--human-rights abuses, rigged elections and corruption. But I must confess, I never thought that the corruption would reach these dimensions.

Fujimori is back in the land of his ancestry, Japan, after making a big deal during his campaigns about how Peruvian he was. Does this surprise you?

No. When it was quite obvious that he was implicated in such scandals-- corruptions, killings, disappearances--he had no alternative but to escape. And he had the very fortunate possibility to reclaim his Japanese nationality, and now he's very well protected there--and a rich man.