PERU: VOTE RIGGING ALLEGATIONS

(8 Apr 1995) Spanish/Nat

Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is facing allegations of vote rigging just before his country goes to the polls for Presidential elections.

Hundreds of ballot papers have been discovered already marked with Fujimori's name in a house in Huanaco, northeast of Lima.

The government has denied being involved , claiming the rigged papers would have helped a cross section of political parties

One day before presidential elections, Peruvians lined up Saturday across the capital of Lima to register to vote, while President Alberto Fujimori fronted allegations of electoral fraud.

Police reported finding three thousand ballots Friday in a house in Huanuco, 155 miles northeast of Lima.

The government said twelve people were arrested and charged with voter fraud, five more were being sought.

International observers said that the allegations could jeopardize
the integrity of the elections.

As the government denied the allegations, electoral workers today continued loading up trucks with bags of ballots to be distributed throughout the country.

SOUNDBITE:

"The Electoral Board vehemently denies any allegations of electoral fraud. We have been saying consistently for weeks now. We will insure that these elections run smoothly and cleanly."
SUPER CAPTION: ELECTORAL BOARD PRESIDENT RICARDO NUNGEN

Peruvians crowded on buses and trucks to return to their towns to vote.

On Friday the Organization of American States President Cesar Gaviria arrived in Peru with an OAS delegation to monitor the elections.

Gaviria met with Fujimori and his main rival former U-N Secretary General Javier Perez de Cellar. The BOAS president
down played the allegations of fraud claiming it involved lower level
election officials.

Polls have been giving Fujimori a clear margin. Fujimori has scored voter points by declaring the rebel Shining Path and controlling inflation - which topped 7,000 percent the year he was elected. Last year, inflation was 15.4 percent.

Fujimori initially gained political capital from the recent border conflict with Ecuador, but the crisis dragged on longer than most Peruvians expected, and ended up eroding some of his support.

As a result, some opposition candidates say that Fujimori might not win the first round of elections. If no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the two top candidates square off in a second round a month later.

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