The Albany Gazette - Peru president-elect Fujimori calls for political 'reconciliation'

Fujimori, 51, won the June 7 presidential runoff by the slimmest of margins, outpolling leftist Roberto Sanchez. She will succeed interim leader Jose Maria Balcazar on July 28.

"National reconciliation does not mean forgetting our differences; it means learning to build on what unites us," Fujimori said after receiving her presidential credentials from the electoral body in Lima.

"No government can move Peru forward if it keeps feeding division," she said, calling on political forces, state institutions and unions to work together.

Fujimori is the daughter of the late, disgraced, ex-leader Alberto Fujimori, whose legacy deeply divides Peruvians.

Alberto, who ruled from 1990 to 2000, was exiled and jailed for corruption and crimes against humanity committed in the name of fighting what he considered terrorism.

Fujimori's rival Sanchez rejected her calls for reconciliation.

"How are we going to kiss her hand?... The first thing Fujimori should do is kneel down and ask for forgiveness," Sanchez said to his supporters in Lima.

Once she takes office, Fujimori's first challenge will be to "ensure governability" and "fulfill her campaign promises to 'restore order' on issues of crime," political scientist Eduardo Dargent told AFP. Fujimori does not have a majority in Congress.

Fujimori campaigned on a hardline security platform, promising military deployments and tougher prisons to confront rising extortion and violent crime.

TV repair technician Fernando Cumana trusts her to deliver on her promise, saying: "We’re going to move forward."

But 55-year-old Sanchez supporter Silvia Quintana disagrees. "We don't believe anything Fujimori says because she always lies. We don't recognize her government," she told AFP.

(N.Miller--TAG)