Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has died in the capital, Lima, at the age of 86, his daughter has confirmed. Fujimori’s presidency, which spanned from 1990 to 2000, began with successes in stabilizing Peru’s economy and defeating a brutal insurgency, but ended in scandal and imprisonment.
Fujimori, who ruled with increasing authoritarianism, was later pardoned in December for convictions related to corruption and the responsibility for the deaths of 25 people. His daughter, Keiko Fujimori, revealed in July that he was planning to run for Peru’s presidency for a fourth time in 2026.
A former university president and mathematics professor, Fujimori emerged from obscurity to win the 1990 election against writer Mario Vargas Llosa. Throughout his tumultuous political career, he made risky decisions that both earned him significant support and severe criticism.
Fujimori tackled Peru’s runaway inflation and guerrilla violence by implementing mass privatizations and eventually defeating the Shining Path rebels. However, his presidency collapsed dramatically. He briefly dissolved Congress, secured a controversial third term, and fled the country in 2000 after videotapes revealed his spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, bribing lawmakers. Fujimori sought asylum in Japan, the land of his parents, and resigned via fax.
Five years later, he was arrested in Chile and extradited to Peru, where he faced charges of abuse of power. He became the first former president in the world to be tried and convicted in his own country for human rights violations. Although he was not directly found guilty of ordering the murders for which he was convicted, he was held responsible as they were committed in the name of his government.
Despite a 25-year sentence, Fujimori continued to seek political redemption from a prison located on the outskirts of Lima. His daughter, Keiko, made multiple attempts to restore the family dynasty, running for president in 2011, 2016, and 2021, though she was unsuccessful in all campaigns.
Keiko Fujimori announced her father’s passing on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, stating, “After a long battle with cancer, our father, Alberto Fujimori, has just departed to meet the Lord. We ask those who loved him to accompany us with a prayer for the eternal rest of his soul.”
Después de una larga batalla contra el cáncer, nuestro padre, Alberto Fujimori acaba de partir al encuentro del Señor. Pedimos a quienes lo apreciaron nos acompañen con una oración por el eterno descanso de su alma.
Gracias por tanto papá!
Keiko, Hiro, Sachie y Kenji Fujimori.— Keiko Fujimori (@KeikoFujimori) September 11, 2024
Fujimori is survived by his four children. His eldest, Keiko, became first lady in 1996 after her father divorced his wife, Susana Higuchi, who had accused Fujimori of torture. His youngest child, Kenji, was elected a congressman.
Fujimori was born on July 28, 1938, Peruvian Independence Day, to immigrant parents who initially worked in cotton fields before opening a tailor’s shop in Lima. In December 2017, Peru’s Constitutional Court upheld a humanitarian pardon granted to Fujimori by then-President Pablo Kuczynski.
In his final public appearance, he was seen leaving a private hospital in a wheelchair on September 4, having undergone a CT scan. When asked about his presidential candidacy, he smiled and responded, “We’ll see, we’ll see.”
