The Fujimori era is over. Peru's embattled president, Mr. Alberto Fujimori, has resigned after 10 tumultuous years in office. Mr. Fujimori leaves a mixed legacy. There were important accomplishments during his decade in power, but the price has been high. His successor inherits a divided country whose democratic institutions have been weakened. Mr. Fujimori claims to have always put Peru's interests first; history is unlikely to be so charitable in its assessment of him.
Mr. Fujimori's achievements are significant. He broke the back of the Sendero Luminoso Maoist guerrilla organization that had terrorized the country. He gambled on a high-risk rescue attempt when rebels took Japanese diplomats hostage at the embassy in Lima in 1997 -- and succeeded. Mr. Fujimori tamed the hyperinflation that had ravaged the economy, helped get diplomatic relations with Peru's neighbors back on track and beat back the drug traffickers who had worked with the guerrillas and who virtually ruled parts of Peru.
Unfortunately for Peru, Mr. Fujimori was a strong leader who had little time or respect for democratic procedures. When the Congress blocked his government's policies, he dissolved it. When the judiciary refused to approve his programs, he dismissed judges and packed the benches with supporters. Mr. Fujimori put order above all other priorities. He worked intimately with the security forces to achieve that objective; human rights suffered in the process.