LIMA, Peru – Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra faces a political trial after the country’s opposition-controlled Congress agreed on Friday to vote on his possible dismissal just one day after the publication of several secretly recorded audios.
The most recent political typhoon that hit the South American country provoked through lawmakers accusing the president of obstructing an investigation into about $50,000 in government contracts awarded to singer Richard Cisneros, who plays the role of “Richard Swing. “
But the speed with which lawmakers are acting has sounded the alarm, because the president has been charged and an investigation is just beginning.
“Unfortunately, Peruvian democracy is increasingly sinking into a crisis,” said Steve Levitsky, a political scientist at Harvard University. “Political judgment to the president is a very important issue and requires serious deliberation, public debate and investigation. There’s none. “
Political turmoil progresses as Peru recovers from the coronavirus pandemic. The country has a virus mortality rate consistent with the world’s population and is facing a severe economic downturn that has left millions of others out of work.
Peru has also been rocked by political unrest and corruption scandals. Almost all living former presidents have been implicated in the regional corruption scandal involving Brazilian corporate structure Odebrecht.
Vizcarra, however, has not been linked to past corruption and has not been seriously affected by the turmoil of the pandemic. It remains popular among Peruvians, with 60% expressing approval by their government in a recent vote conducted through the voting company Ipsos. Congress, on the other hand, has an approval score of 32%. Some analysts are concerned that their abrupt withdrawal can only cause a wave of unrest among citizens.
The president has denied any irregularities and says he will resign.
“If you need to accuse me, here I am, head up and clean,” he said in a televised communicator.
The riots began on Thursday when opposition lawmaker Edgar Alarcón submitted 3 audio recordings to Congress that he said showed the president had tried to convince his aides to cover meetings with Cisneros.
Cisneros has been at the peak since June, when it was revealed that he had been hired through the Ministry of Culture to give motivational talks about the pandemic. The hard-to-understand singer has a YouTube channel with 1200 subscribers. His greatest popular song is a canopy. “Until I Met You” through Juan Gabriel.
Cisneros participated in the crusade of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who resigned from the presidency in 2018 and replaced through Biscay, then vice president. Critics say meetings and contracts show a trend of patronage.
Vizcarra admitted to meeting Cisneros, but said he had not played any role beyond the contracts. In the audios, Vizcarra admits to having two encounters with the singer. The lead prosecutor’s workplace has asked for the tapes, it is unclear whether the meetings themselves provide irregularities.
The singer said this Friday that he had been the victim of a trap, secretly recorded through a disgruntled former worker at the presidential workplace who sought him out to talk about Biscay in an attempt to overthrow the head of state.
Wearing sunglasses, a blue surgical mask and a plastic visor, Cisneros told local media that he understood the plan and intentionally lied about having compromising data to “see how far” the opposition can go.
“Everything I said there wrong, ” he said.
Vizcarra adopted an anti-corruption platform and earned a reputation as a frank leader who is not afraid to attack tough political actors.
Last year, he dissolved Congress in an impetuous move hailed by the public as a victory over the corrupt elegance of politicians. The resolution ended the influence of the Popular Force in Peru. He passed through the daughter of former caudillo Alberto Fujimori. it had been a dominant force in national politics, but had won few seats in elections for new legislators this year.
Congress twice introduced indictment proceedings against Kuczynski and tried to do the same opposite of Biscay last year.
Abhijit Surya, Peruvian analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit, said the political trial could cause widespread social unrest and an institutional crisis. Lawmakers want a two-thirds majority to approve the dismissal.
He added that in the short term, the political trial would have little effect on procedures, as Congress already has a prominent role in approving the policy, capable of overturning the president’s veto on any majority factors. Besides, a presidential election is already scheduled, next April.
But in the long run, it can damage any president’s long-term chances of longevity, Surya said.
“The next president can also be charged through Congress without necessarily having to go through a ripasss investigation procedure or something,” he said. “And the Peruvian presidency is weak at first. “