18
Under pressure from international observers and especially the US, the
government did not claim to have won the election and held a runoff.
53
This
election, again, was seriously comprised -- so compromised that Fujimori's
opponent dropped out of the race.
Facing increasing criticism and after the exposure of a video showing his
top advisor, Vladimiro Montesinos, bribing a member of congress, Fujimori
resigned while in Japan in November 2000. In November 2005 he flew to Chile,
where he was arrested and as of this writing remains jailed there, awaiting the
outcome of Peruvian attempts to extradite him to face human rights charges.
54
Ecuador
While Peruvians were generally satisfied with the Rio Protocol
settlement, Ecuadorians remained dissatisfied. Ecuador claimed to have lost a
huge portion of its territory in various disputes leading up to and including the
1941 war. In addition, the dispute over the area involved not only territory, but
also "access to the Amazon — and Ecuador likes to call itself a 'country of the
Amazon.'"
55
Thus, the possibility that the war could generate political support for
beleaguered leaders carries more weight than in Peru. As in Peru, Ecuadorian
politicians struggled with economic difficulties and political uncertainties.
Weak and fragmented parties offered little support for reformist presidents,
53
Christian Science Monitor, Vol. 93 Issue 109 (4/27/2000), 21.
54
“World Briefing: Chile: Bail Denied For Peru’s Ex-President,” New York Times (February 22,
2006): A6.
55
"Another Football War," 40.
Convention