Few people in Peru had heard of Alberto Fujimori, an agricultural engineer and university rector, when he stood for the presidency in 1989. In the runoff he faced the internationally renowned novelist turned politician Mario Vargas Llosa, who was expected to win.
However, Peru is a divided society, and poorer, indigenous voters regarded Vargas Llosa as part of the elite, out of touch with ordinary Peruvians, and Fujimori as more likely to understand their concerns. In the end, Fujimori won convincingly, and Vargas Llosa returned to writing.
