Mario Vargas Llosa said Monday he will continue his presidential campaign and participate in an election runoff against Alberto Fujimori, a political neophyte now favored to win Peru's presidency. ``I will go to the second round fighting for the reforms that our country needs,'' the celebrated novelist said in a brief statement following a two-hour meeting with campaign strategists and leaders of his center-right Democratic Front coalition. Vargas Llosa said he had been ready to end his candidacy to save Peru the turmoil of two more months of election campaigning but was persuaded to continue for the good of this Andean nation, wracked by economic problems and a violent guerrilla uprising. He had been seriously considering dropping out of the runoff election after a disappointing showing in the April 8 opening round, according to key figures in his campaign. Fujimori, the descendent of Japanese immigrants and a political unknown when he started the campaign, ran a close second to Vargas Llosa and has emerged as a favorite in the runoff because he is expected to pick up the support of voters who favored leftist candidates. Vargas Llosa said a major factor in his decision was the constitutional requirement for a runoff if no candidate receives a majority of votes, effectively barring by law from withdrawing his name from the second round. That appeared to confirm reports he was participating in the runoff, expected to be held in late May or early June, to fulfill a legal requirement and was not enthusiastic about continuing his presidential campaign. Key supporters said the novelist had been considering dropping out because he was reportedly discouraged by the prospect that he would lose the runoff or, if he won, face the prospect of governing the country without control of Congress. Vargas Llosa, author of such celebrated books as ``The Green House,'' ``Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter'' and ``Converations in The Cathedral,'' went into seclusion with his family last Wednesday to mull over the decision on whether to continue the race. He said Monday night hoped the second round of campaigning would produce a ``clean debate'' on the best ways to solve Peru's problems. News commentators and political figures close to the writer had said earlier Monday they were convinced he would stay in the race. Some of Vargas Llosa's closest supporters have stressed the need for a runoff to ensure that Peru's next president can claim a popular mandate to deal with the country's problems. Due to the growing violence by the Shining Path guerrillas and the country's severe economic problems, Peru needs a president elected with majority support, Manuel d'Ornellas, editor of the Expreso newspaper and a close friend of the writer, said last week. ``The mandate that Fujimori would receive after Vargas Llosa's resignation could be questioned in the future, opening the doors to a possible military coup,'' d'Ornellas wrote in a column in his paper. Fujimori had been given little chance of making the second round a month ago. But a late surge propelled him into second place in the field of nine candidates. Vargas Llosa had hoped for a majority to avoid a second round but received only 32 percent of the votes. Fujimori, an agricultural engineer and former university rector running as an independent, received nearly 30 percent. Fujimori is favored in the runoff because Vargas Llosa is unlikely to receive support from the left-of-center ruling Aprista Party and Peru's leftist parties. Vargas Llosa harshly criticized the leftists' policies, while Fujimori conducted a conciliatory campaign. Fujimori avoided specifics in his campaign, stressing instead general goals like improved health care and revitalized industry. Analysts say Fujimori also benefited from voter concerns about the harsh economic austerity measures advocated by Varsa Llosa and suspicions about the old-line politicians in the Democratic Front. The Democratic Front also fell far short of gaining a majority in the congressional elections. Without support in Congress, Vargas Llosa would have great problems as president imposing his economic austerity program aimed at reviving Peru's moribund economy.
