Few world leaders are as perplexing as Peru's president, Mr. Alberto Fujimori. Both sides of his complex personality have been on display in recent weeks: the taciturn autocrat who defies international opinion to hold an election and the leader who wins that vote with substantial popular support. But his third election win last weekend may be his most costly yet. His country is divided, and his tactics have been almost unanimously condemned in foreign capitals. Mr. Fujimori is counting on a return to normalcy in Peru. If the world acquiesces to his continued rule, he may get it. If it does not, he may be forced to go.
Mr. Fujimori was an unlikely president. When he first ran for office in 1990, he was a virtually unknown agriculture teacher and engineer, the son of working-class Japanese immigrants. That background endeared him to the peasant classes that support him still -- they see him as one of their own. His virtues are uncontested: He is hardworking, quick to make fun of himself and has excellent political instincts.
His successes are impressive. His economic policies tamed hyperinflation and resulted in growth of about 7 percent annually, until 1997, when Peru was hit by the Asian crisis and the El Nino weather phenomenon. He broke the back of the Sendero Luminoso guerrilla group and in 1997 launched the daring raid to free hostages at the Japanese Embassy. In addition, his government won the support of the United States by halving coca production -- the raw material of cocaine -- in five years.