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In a new upset in the permanent Peruvian political labyrinth, Congress approved the second vacancy motion presented against the President Martin Vizcarra. After a debate that lasted for hours, the legislators needed only 87 votes in favor – out of a total of 130 – to finalize the dismissal for “permanent moral disability” and they exceeded them, with 105 in favor, 19 against and 4 abstentions . The attack from the Legislative Branch was promoted after the local press echoed a case in which the president is accused of receiving US $ 630 thousand in bribes when he was governor in Moquegua (2011-2014). Thus, Peru has once again been immersed in a new political crisis, this time without a government.
On September 20, Vizcarra emerged unscathed from the first vacancy motion against him, which was refuted after reaching 32 votes in favor, 78 against and 15 abstentions. However, on this occasion the Union for Peru (UPP) bench, which presented the last resort, assured that it is “more solid” than the previous one.
The cause of Vizcarra’s vacancy is the same that Congress used in 2000 to remove Alberto Fujimori after his chaotic departure from the country after accusations of corruption and the same that started the process in 2018 against Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who finally resigned -after 20 months of government after being cornered by links with Odebrecht- in days before the vote leaving his vice president, Martín Vizcarra, to power.
During the day, the Peruvian president arrived at the Plenary to exercise his right of defense accompanied by his lawyer, Fernando Ugaz Zegarra. Vizcarra denied all the accusations. “We have provided substantive and formal support and the justification that in our opinion the vacancy does not correspond in any way,” he said.
Unlike the political earthquake in September, when a series of audios were leaked in which the president asked two advisers to “lie” about the ties he had with singer Richard “Swing” Cisneros, investigated for irregular contracts with the State, and the position of the President to confront the Congress accusing a “plot against democracy” promoted by “dark forces” and reject a possible resignation from office, now Vizcarra faced accusations from at least four witnesses who wanted to collaborate with justice.
On this occasion and with an inflammatory speech, Vizcarra – who led a fight against corruption that allowed him to enjoy high popularity (57% according to Ipsos) – defended that the testimonies against him, which accuse him of receiving more than US $ 630,000 for the bids for an irrigation project and a hospital during his Moqueguano mandate, were not corroborated or verified and pointed to the 68 congressmen who have current accusations for various crimes before the Prosecutor’s Office. “Would they also have to drop their charges for it? Without the tax investigation having been concluded? ”Criticized the president.
In this way, it is with an inconclusive judicial investigation -because it has immunity and the expertises are carried out when the accused leaves power-, the legislators sought to precipitate the departure of the government which they considered “a stone in the shoe”, and that promoted a series of anti-corruption reforms that, among others, regulated party financing and annulled reelection. This led Vizcarra to threaten to dissolve the majority opposition Parliament on at least two occasions.
The clashes between the Executive and the Legislative came shortly after Vizcarra’s mandate. According to The Associated Press, Vizcarra is the only president in 40 years who ruled without a bench that could protect him with votes in plenary. Kuczynski (2016-2018) had 18 legislators, while Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006), Alan García (2006-2011) and Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) had solid legislative support that allowed them to end their terms, despite the fact that all have been investigated for the Odebrecht case.
Of course, something that Vizcarra has and that his predecessors did not achieve, was a high popular support. A survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies maintains that nine out of 10 Peruvians prefer that they end their term and then be investigated by the prosecution.
The escalation of tension occurs seven months after the end of Vizcarra’s mandate. The Peruvian general elections are scheduled for April 11 and the change of command should take place on July 28, but the admitted appeal of vacancy has immediate effects.
The regular channel estimates that after a legislative resolution, the measure will be published in the official gazette and then become law.
In the absence of a vice president after the resignation of Mercedes Aráoz, last May, the person who must take over in replacement of Vizcarra is the head of Congress, Manuel Merino, the third president in four years.
“We dragged this dynamic of political-institutional crisis between powers from PPK and it has deepened with the start of the electoral campaign. There were some incentives from the parties with the electoral climate for there to be greater votes in favor of the vacancy ”, says the Peruvian political analyst, Carlos Meléndez.
In his defense, Vizcarra said that the vacancy is a mere maneuver by the Plenary to postpone the 2021 elections and thus extend the current mandate of Congress.
