Peru Government

President Alberto Fujimori's government called for a return to "cordiality" in relations with the opposition, softening earlier warnings that adversaries would be punished for deadly riots on Fujimori's inauguration day. Pro-government television ran programs all weekend slamming the opposition as terrorists after riots Friday in which six people were killed, dozens were injured and several government buildings were set ablaze.

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori moved quickly Saturday to swear in a new Cabinet and blamed the opposition for six deaths a day earlier during protests against the start of his third term. Fujimori, 62, accused by the marchers of electoral fraud, swore in his Cabinet with little warning Saturday and moved his inaugural parade from downtown Lima to the army's suburban headquarters.

More than 15,000 opponents of President Alberto Fujimori on Thursday staged one of the biggest protests yet against his decade in power, rallying on the eve of his inauguration for an unprecedented third term after a tainted reelection. The peaceful overnight outpouring against Fujimori's inauguration united workers, students and Peruvians from all walks in a raucous, torchlit rally, marked by bottle rockets screaming over a downtown plaza and drums pounding loudly in the cool night air.

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori insisted that his election victory was fair despite an opposition boycott and condemnation from the U.S., which called his "regime" a serious threat to Latin American democracy. He won a third consecutive term Sunday after opposition leader Alejandro Toledo urged the boycott, citing fraud concerns. The U.S.

Only three years before the landmark political crisis that has engulfed Peru, former Argentine Foreign Minister Guido di Tella scanned a wall map during an interview and called democratic conditions in Latin America "too good to be true." Free elections, free speech and free markets had sunk roots across the region, the foreign minister said, allowing leaders to concentrate on the "next wave" of reforms in areas such as education and justice. The map looks a lot different today.

The National Election Board on Thursday rejected a request by Peruvian opposition candidate Alejandro Toledo to postpone a May 28 runoff against President Alberto Fujimori, throwing the election into doubt. Toledo had refused a few hours earlier to participate in the runoff if it is held as scheduled, saying there was not enough time to resolve fears of fraud and unfair voting conditions. "A delay in the date of the second election has been rejected," a statement from the election panel said.

Incumbent Alberto Fujimori has strong support ahead of Peru's scheduled presidential runoff vote but faces a tight race against the rival whose sudden surge robbed him of outright victory in the first round, a leading pollster said. Fujimori, who failed by only about 20,000 votes to win outright earlier this month in an election marred by opposition street protests and accusations of vote rigging, had 46% support, the Apoyo polling firm said.

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori named Victor Joy Way, the head of Congress, as his new prime minister at the start of a major Cabinet shake-up. Joy Way, a former industry minister in Fujimori's government and considered one of the president's most loyal supporters, will replace Alberto Pandolfi, who had headed the Cabinet since August.

President Alberto Fujimori rejected a proposal by his prime minister to free U.S. citizen Lori Berenson, jailed for life on terrorism charges in a top security prison in the Andes. Prime Minister Javier Valle Riestra recommended Fujimori pardon and expel Berenson, 28, raising expectations that the New Yorker would leave Peru after more than two years in jail. Fujimori said he had no doubt that Berenson was a "terrorist" and that freeing her would send a "negative signal."

After climbing aboard a police helicopter bound for the next destination in his whirlwind crusade against El Nino, President Alberto Fujimori did what he often does at such moments. He took a nap. Fujimori donned earphones handed to him by a military aide, gestured and smiled at two passengers to make room for him on their bench seat and lay down.