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Subject: Expatriates Turn Out To Restore Democracy; 5,700 Area Peruvians Registered to
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 09:54:16 EST
Message-ID: <1.1992Nov23.095416@AmeriCast.com>

Expatriates Turn Out To Restore Democracy; 5,700 Area Peruvians
Registered to Vote<By Gabriel Escobar=Washington Post Staff Writ-
er=

The Peruvian president had no way of knowing his words were about
to echo quite clearly all the way up here, on a sidewalk outside
a Washington school, where the aroma of frying picarones was as
much of a draw as the 13-inch RCA and its live feed from Lima.

The little television was propped up on the floor of a van, and
the satellite dish on the trailer nearby was making all this pos-
sible. There was President Alberto Fujimori smiling and flashing
a "V" at the Maria Molinari School in Lima, and here was Gregorio
Torres, an impatient loyalist outside another Peruvian polling
site, Francis Junior High School in Northwest.  "Caramba! He
doesn't have a microphone," Torres, glaring at the screen, said
in Spanish. "How could a president not have a microphone? It
can't be. It just can't be."

In time, someone handed Fujimori a mike, and he began speaking
slowly and deliberately. Jorge Servat's picarones, dough fried in
oil, sizzled loudly. The expectant crowd leaned closer to the
television. "I think that, in a very responsible manner, everyone
is participating," Fujimori said.

Though he probably wasn't thinking of the Peruvians voting at
Francis yesterday, his words certainly applied. With the country
electing a new Constituent Congress yesterday, the first steps in
Peru's return to democracy, the expatriate community here turned
out in large numbers.

The satellite hookup, a gimmick by a company trying to sell sub-
scriptions, linked voters separated by thousands of miles. At one
point, a reporter for Peru's Sur network was describing a shor-
tage of poll workers at another school in Lima, the very problem
that confronted Peruvians who arrived at Francis about 8:30 a.m.,
when not all the officials were in place.

That this scene was played out in Washington and seven other ci-
ties across the country - each chosen because they have signifi-
cant Peruvian communities - is neither new nor unique to Peru.
Countries routinely allow their citizens to vote at embassies and
consulates, and locally more than 5,700 Peruvians registered to
vote yesterday.

Across the United States, about 45,000 Peruvians were expected to
go to the polls, by far the biggest bloc in any country outside
Peru. Although little noted by most Americans - passersby where
clearly perplexed - the election here required considerable coor-
dination and preparation on the part of the Peruvian community.

In the last few turbulent weeks, even while Fujimori survived a
coup attempt, the planning went on. Francis was rented for the
day. Public service spots appeared on Spanish language radio. The
embassy held a news conference for area media. The counsul gen-
eral, Rosa Garibaldi de Mendoza, and the president of the 100-
member Friends of Peru, Gloria de la Flor, went door to door,
dropping off information at Peruvian restaurants.  Peruvian na-
tionals are required by law to vote, and that automatically en-
sures a large turnout. The election of an 80-member Constituent
Congress, which will draft a new constitution, drew 18 parties.
Each was fielding 80 candidates, and although people were voting
for a party's slate, the long list of names confused those who
had not been following events.

Outside the school yesterday, Jorge Mujica, a member of the
embassy's security detail, found himself explaining the ballot to
some voters. Although it was Fujimori who shut down the congress
and suspended parts of the constitution in April, his party, Cam-
bio 90, was favored to win a majority of the seats.

"For my part, I applaud Fujimori," said Desi Cardenas, whose
Cuzco restaurant in Baileys Crossroads is a popular gathering
place for Peruvians. Like others, Cardenas denounced the old
Congress and agreed with the "auto coup," as Peruvians call
Fujimori's April surprise.

There are about 12,000 Peruvians in the area, a figure that does
not include an unknown but large number of illegal aliens.  The
vast majority of Peruvians have strong ties to home, and the
election and the promise of a return to democracy was a relief,
several voters said.  Patriotic duty aside, the election was big
business for Servat and other vendors hawking Peruvian food. The
1990 elections turned into $1,500 in sales for Roberto Carranza,
who was out again yesterday, selling sandwiches and pastries out
of a pickup truck. Servat and his partner, Julia Yzaguirre, said
they were up until 2 a.m. cooking tamales and picarones.

Servat, like others, said he had been stunned by the April coup.
"I didn't agree with him because he was moving against democra-
cy," he said. "Now I can see he is trying to improve the coun-
try."<08:45 11-23C9999-----

Copyright 1992, The Washington Post.  This story is from the
Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar-
chived or redistributed.

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