Scribd
Upload
27 views2 pages

Peru in Turmoil After President Vizcarra Dissolves Congress

Peru's president, Martín Vizcarra, dissolved Congress after lawmakers failed to pass his anti-corruption reforms. In response, opposition lawmakers in Congress suspended Vizcarra and appointed the vice president as acting leader, claiming Vizcarra's actions amounted to a coup. However, the military and police support Vizcarra as the legitimate president. Thousands have also protested in support of Vizcarra, but opposition lawmakers call his moves unconstitutional and dictatorial as the standoff continues. Vizcarra has called for new parliamentary elections in January in an effort to resolve the crisis.

Uploaded by

attywithnocaseyet
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
27 views2 pages

Peru in Turmoil After President Vizcarra Dissolves Congress

Peru's president, Martín Vizcarra, dissolved Congress after lawmakers failed to pass his anti-corruption reforms. In response, opposition lawmakers in Congress suspended Vizcarra and appointed the vice president as acting leader, claiming Vizcarra's actions amounted to a coup. However, the military and police support Vizcarra as the legitimate president. Thousands have also protested in support of Vizcarra, but opposition lawmakers call his moves unconstitutional and dictatorial as the standoff continues. Vizcarra has called for new parliamentary elections in January in an effort to resolve the crisis.

Uploaded by

attywithnocaseyet
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Peru in turmoil after President Vizcarra dissolves Congress.

Peru has been thrown into political crisis after President Martín Vizcarra made
good on a threat to dissolve Congress unless lawmakers backed his anti-corruption
reforms. Opposition lawmakers, who are in the majority in Congress, said the
dissolution amounted to a coup d'etat. They suspended Mr Vizcarra and swore in
Vice-President Mercedes Aráoz as acting leader. Meanwhile, Mr Vizcarra decreed
that fresh elections be held on 26 January. Mr Vizcarra and Ms Aráoz each claim to
be the legitimate leader of Peru. Mr Vizcarra argued that his move to dissolve
Congress was constitutional, but opposition lawmakers said it was dictatorial and
have refused to leave the building. A majority of 86 out of 130 members of Congress
then voted in favour of suspending Mr Vizcarra for a year. They also declared Ms
Aráoz acting president. Ms Aráoz said she was "temporarily assuming the presidency
of the Republic". But a government source said the vote and swearing-in of Ms Aráoz
were null and void because they had occurred after Congress had been dissolved.
The heads of the armed forces and the police have thrown their weight behind Mr
Vizcarra, releasing statements saying that they recognised him as the constitutional
president and commander-in-chief. The presidency's press office also published a
photo showing the commanders of the army, navy, air force and the police attending
a meeting chaired by Mr Vizcarra at the presidential palace in Lima. Thousands of
people also gathered outside the Congress building to show their support for Mr
Vizcarra. But opposition lawmakers said Mr Vizcarra overstepped his powers when
he dissolved the democratically elected Congress. They called his move
unconstitutional and him a dictator. They sang the national anthem and refused to
leave Congress while pledging their loyalty to Vice-President Aráoz. The stand-off
between opposition members of Congress and Mr Vizcarra is likely to continue over
the coming days with Congress planning to meet again on Friday to vote on a motion
to dismiss President Vizcarra altogether. Mr Vizcarra has issued a decree setting
parliamentary elections for 26 January. "This exceptional measure will permit the
citizenry to finally express themselves and define, at the polls and through their
participation, the future of our country," he said. Meanwhile, a legal battle is expected
to kick off to determine if the dissolution of Congress was constitutional or not. Mr
Vizcarra was sworn in in March 2018 after his running mate and then-President Pedro
Pablo Kuczynski resigned over a vote-buying scandal. He said he would fight graft
head-on, which endeared him to Peruvians tired of endless corruption scandals that
have tainted not only Mr Kuczynski but also the three previous Peruvian presidents.
Mr Vizcarra says Congress, which is dominated by the right-wing Popular Force party
led by Keiko Fujimori, blocked him from passing a raft of anti-corruption measures.
Ms Fujimori, the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, is in jail awaiting trial
for allegedly accepting illegal funds from Odebrecht. Mr Vizcarra accused her party
of trying to shield itself from corruption investigations by obstructing his reforms. "The
parliamentary majority resorts to innumerable arguments and tricks, destined to harm
not just government but society as a whole," he said in a televised address. He also
argued that Congress's appointment of a new judge to the constitutional court would
interfere with his efforts to stamp out corruption. Among other things, the court is soon
due to decide whether to free Keiko Fujimori from pre-trial detention.

You might also like