LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- A general strike called to protest President Alberto
                  Fujimori's economic policies failed to paralyze the country Wednesday, but
                  still marked the strongest show of popular discontent since Fujimori came to
                  power.

                  Fujimori deployed more than 20,000 police backed by army units to keep
                  order in industrial areas and on roads as many public sector, transport and
                  construction workers obeyed a strike call by the top union that claims
                  hundreds of thousands of members.

                  Soldiers with automatic weapons guarded public buildings, and armored
                  troop carriers patrolled streets, while military helicopters circled overhead.

                  There was scattered violence as protesters stoned buses and blocked streets
                  with burning tires. Police fired tear gas at demonstrators in downtown Lima
                  near the headquarters of the populist Aprista Party of former President Alan
                  Garcia.

                  Protest was first general strike this decade

                  The one-day strike and widespread protest marches -- backed by most
                  political parties -- marked the first time the opposition had managed to
                  organize a nationwide general strike since Fujimori was elected in 1990. It
                  was seen as a test case for Peru's opposition, which has struggled to unite
                  against Fujimori ahead of his widely expected bid for an unprecedented third
                  term in 2000.

                  "This is the first strong show of force after almost nine years when unions
                  and social sectors were not able to demonstrate on this scale," political
                  analyst Alberto Adrianzen said.

                  "The strike has been respected by 70 percent of the workers at the national
                  level," said Jose Risco, leader of Peru's largest labor organization, the
                  General Confederation of Peruvian Workers.

                  However, the government discounted the impact of the stoppage. While
                  admitting that there were "restrictions" in public transport, Labor Minister
                  Pedro Flores said, "The (impetus for a) strike ran out of steam."

                  "This is not a labor protest, but rather it is one with political overtones,"
                  Flores told Reuters.

                  Flores on Tuesday had declared the strike illegal, warning workers that their
                  pay would be discounted if they did not show up for their jobs.

                  Strike more successful in provincial cities

                  The protest appeared to be only a partial success as most Peruvian workers
                  ignored the strike. In downtown Lima, where the demonstrators
                  concentrated their protests, at least half of the businesses closed. However,
                  the rest of the capital saw a relatively normal working day.

                  Health and education employees generally stayed away from work, and with
                  Fujimori's main political rival -- Lima Mayor Alberto Andrade -- supporting
                  the strike, most of the capital's local government employees joined the
                  protest.

                  However, the crucial mining sector functioned normally, as did banks,
                  refineries and most private businesses.

                  Orange-uniformed street cleaner Zenobia Solorzano, a 45-year- old widow
                  with three small children, was one of the workers who showed up because
                  she could not afford to lose a day's pay of $4.50, or worse -- her job.

                  "I work for a private company, and I came to work because if I didn't, they
                  would have kicked me out," she said as she swept up trash in downtown
                  Lima.

                  The strike was strongest in major provincial cities. Stores remained shuttered
                  in Iquitos in the Amazon jungle and in Cuzco, Ayacucho and Arequipa in the
                  southern Andes.

                  While Fujimori had faced protests in the past, they were limited to specific
                  sectors of the economy or regions of the country. This was the first
                  nationwide general strike that had occurred during his time in office.

                  President's policies, re-election bid at issue

                  When Fujimori took office in 1990, he inherited an economy coping with
                  hyperinflation of 7,000 percent. His free-market policies tamed the inflation,
                  while his success in putting down the long-running revolt by the Maoist
                  Shining Path rebels boosted consumer confidence and encouraged
                  investment from abroad. As a result, Peru's economy grew by a scorching
                  32 percent between 1993 and 1996.

                  But the policies have had a cost. Privatization of state industries has left tens
                  of thousands of people unemployed. Much of the outside investment pouring
                  into Peru has gone into activities such as mining and oil, which rely heavily on
                  technology and do not generate large numbers of jobs.

                  In addition, a two-year recession -- exacerbated by massive damage done
                  by the El Nino weather phenomenon -- has hit retailers and manufacturers
                  hard, forcing more layoffs and increasing public dissatisfaction.

                  The strike call also has united Peru's opposition against a possible Fujimori
                  re-election bid as polls show most voters are against him running again
                  because they believe an ambiguous constitution forbids it.

                  The president, whose approval ratings have risen steadily this year to about
                  40 percent, has said he will decide whether to make another bid at the end
                  of the year.

                                    Reuters contributed to this report.