MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Political quake in Peru: Fujimori arrived in Chile

Thousands of followers of Alberto Fujimori took to the streets of Lima in support of the former Peruvian president who this Sunday unexpectedly arrived in Santiago de Chile from Tokyo.

The rally next to Mr. Fujimori's party headquarters organized by some of his former aides and ministers is expecting a message from the former president.

Mr. Fujimori who was elected president from Peru from 1990 to 2000 is wanted in Peru on an international arrest warrant on human rights abuse and corruption charges.

He has been a fugitive in Japan where he claimed Japanese citizenship to avoid extradition since he fled there in November 2000 when a corruption scandal toppled his government.

In a statement released in Santiago Fujimori said he left the Japanese capital, Tokyo, on Sunday and flew to Santiago, Chile. Apparently the former president and his four aides previously called in Mexico.

"It is my aim to temporarily remain in Chile as part of my efforts to return to Peru and keep my promise to an important part of the Peruvian people who have called on me to be a candidate in the 2006 presidential elections," he said.

Peruvian authorities have reinforced the border with Chile and President Alejandro Toledo called an urgent cabinet meeting to address the matter.

Former Agriculture minister Absalón Vasquez said in Lima that Fujimori supporters in towns near Chile are organizing a march to the border in support of their leader.

Chilean officials said that Mr. Fujimori, in spite of the international warrant, can only be arrested on request from a Chilean court and therefore can leave Chile whenever he wishes.

Peru has tried and failed to extradite Fujimori from Japan, and planned to take a suit to the International Court in The Hague this year to try to force Japan to send the former president back to Peru for trial.

Fujimori's Intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos is currently on trial in Lima for accusations of having carried out many of Fujimori's alleged illegal orders.

Mr. Fujimori's action comes at a very delicate moment for Peru since President Toledo has rock bottom public opinion support, limited Congressional backing and his party is in total disarray amid claims of corruption and nepotism.

According to the latest public opinion polls Mr. Fujimori has anywhere between 15 and 20% support and is trailing behind two other presidential hopefuls.

Peru's Constitutional Court and Congress have barred Mr. Fujimori from holding public office until 2011.