[ad_1]
The Peruvian parliament votes to impeach President Martín Vizcarra on allegations that he received bribes from real estate developers six years ago while he was governor of the state.
-
President Martín Vizcarra delivers a speech after the decision of the parliament to remove him (AFP)
The Peruvian parliament voted to impeach President Martín Vizcarra over allegations that he received bribes from real estate developers six years ago while he was governor of the state.
Vizcarra emphasized that the accusations were unfounded, calling them “false”, and warned before the vote of unforeseeable consequences.
At the conclusion of a parliamentary trial that lasted several hours, members of Congress voted on a memorandum to impeach the president, with 105 members supporting it compared with 19 who opposed it, while 4 members abstained from voting, noting that the approval the memo needed only 87 votes.
According to the constitution, the president of Parliament, Manuel Merino, will assume the functions of acting president of the republic until the end of the presidential term on July 28, 2021.
For his part, Merino announced at the end of the voting process that “the decision to declare the presidency of the republic vacant” was approved. He indicated that Vizcarra, who became former president, would be immediately informed of the issuance of this decision.
Vizcarra, who has been in power since 2018, came under fire after leaking audio recordings in which he is heard asking his aides to hide details of the appointment in his office of famous singer Richard Swing as paid cultural advisor.
As the news spread, citizens flocked to the streets of the capital, where there were clashes with the police, who arrested dozens of them.
Vizcarra enjoys a record level of popularity and people see him as a fighter against corruption and the waste of public money.
A first attempt to impeach Vizcarra failed after a vote in Parliament on September 18.
[ad_2]
