LIMA — Peruvians have been celebrating in the streets after the shock decision of President Alberto Fujimori to call fresh elections, less than three
months into his controversial third term in office. In a televised address to the nation, Fujimori said he would not stand as a candidate, and he also announced the disbanding of the National Intelligence Service.
The surprise announcement has been prompted by a political scandal involving the head of the country’s secret service.
President Fujimori's televised speech to the nation had barely finished before the people
of Peru started spilling out onto the streets to show their delight at his decision to call early elections. Spontaneous demonstrations have been taking place in towns and cities across the country, and the mood in the
capital, Lima, is one of jubilation.
The chief of the intelligence agency, Vladimiro Montesinos was captured on video allegedly handing over money to an opposition congressman to secure his defection to the governing
party. President Fujimori described his decision as a “moral obligation”, but he did not set a specific date for the new elections, merely stating that they should be held “in the quickest time possible.”
However
this has not stopped people from celebrating the moment and describing it as a historic victory for democracy.
