The Fujimorists buried their historic leader, former President Alberto Fujimori, in a day of honors punctuated by political use, with music, slogans and calls from his daughter, party leader and former candidate Keiko Fujimori, more appropriate for an electoral campaign.
The deceased former leader, who governed Peru from 1990 to 2000, elected in democracy but became dictator and autocrat after a coup d’état, was buried yesterday, Saturday 14, in the Campo Fe cemetery in Huachipa, in the east of Lima, with family, collaborators and sympathizers after two days of public funeral.
In the morning, at the funeral mass at the Gran Teatro Nacional, in the Lima district of San Borja, they used a slow version of the jingle from the electoral campaign of the former dictator ‘El ritmo del Chino’.
At that ceremony, Keiko Fujimori exclaimed to her deceased father: “Daddy, the Peruvian people have absolved you,” alluding to the judicial charges and convictions, including violations of human rights and corruption. “You are free from hatred and revenge and you are free from all those people who did not forgive you for rescuing us from hunger and terror,” she said in Fujimori’s denialism: that evidence is not valid, but that there is revenge to overcome terrorism and the economic crisis.
Some supporters shouted “President, President.”
Earlier, Kenji Fujimori, the youngest member of the clan, who was most affected, had given his speech. “To my father’s adversaries, Chino will never die,” he cried.
Keiko added that she and her brother will now be “united forever.” Her supporters shouted for “unity.”
After this mass, the coffin and its entourage headed to the center of Lima. Fujimorist supporters followed them in buses hired for the occasion.
Several buses were hired to transport Fujimori supporters. (Photo: John Reyes)
President Dina Boluarte and her ministers received them and paid tribute to the former dictator in the main courtyard of the Government Palace. It was part of the protocol established by a law that does not differentiate between former presidents convicted by the courts.
Boluarte and his entire cabinet paid tribute to the former dictator at the Palace. (Photo: Marco Cotrina)
In response to this, Congressman Alfredo Pariona, from the Socialist Party, has presented a bill to prohibit state funerals for former presidents who have been convicted.
The end
On the way to the cemetery, several citizens expressed their rejection of the former dictator with shouts of “murderer” and “corrupt,” in reference to his various judicial convictions.
At the funeral, Keiko once again launched political slogans: “We have to leave behind these irrational hatreds. (…) We want to look to the future with hope because he showed that the most difficult problems, such as terrorism and famine, can be overcome when there is political determination. Today, in front of our father, we commit ourselves to building a better future,” she said as if she were campaigning.
He jingle echoed: “Fujimorism is reunited today.” The author of the original version, publicist and former congressman Carlos Raffo, was at the funeral.
Kenji, more hurt, received repeated shouts of “Kenji, president!” from supporters.
At 3:30 pm, Alberto Fujimori’s body was buried in the ground, 24 years after the first vladivideo was released, which precipitated the fall of the Fujimori government by exposing its corruption.
