Peru Engulfed by the Tsunami

When the presidential campaign started nine months ago, few people in Lima had ever heard of him. Yet as the votes were counted last week after the first round of balloting, Alberto Fujimori, 51, an agronomist of Japanese descent, was less than 3% behind Mario Vargas Llosa, 54, one of Latin America's most popular novelists and among Peru's most famous citizens. Because he is likely to win support from other opposition parties, Fujimori is expected to prevail in a runoff to be held in late May or early June.

Dubbed "the Japanese Tsunami," Fujimori surprised Peru's longtime favorite son by appealing...