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A country with a steady number of coronavirus deaths in the world is now also in political crisis, as lawmakers seek to overthrow President Martin Vizcarra on charges of obstruction of justice.
By Mitra Taj and Anatoly Kurmanaev
LIMA, Peru – The Congress of Peru voted Friday in favor of opening political trial hearings against President Martín Vizcarra on charges of obstruction of justice, a move that could lead to his early resignation as the country faces one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.
The political crisis broke out through Thursday’s release of audio recordings that seem to show the president ordering officials to lie about an influence-trafficking scandal.
The political trial is the latest war in the long-term confrontation between Biscay, a former centrist governor, and a divided and hostile congress of his attempts to take anti-corruption measures and replace the country’s judicial and political system.
In January, tension led to early parliamentary elections, but now the slash can interfere with the country’s reaction to the coronavirus.
Despite the enactment of immediate pandemic measures, Peru now has the number of coronavirus deaths consistent with the world. Its once-fastest developing economy in the region is now expected to contract by 12% this year, according to a government forecast. , which would lead to what would be the innerst recession in a century.
Mr. Vizcarra stated that the audio recordings had been tampered with and denied that they were illegal, let alone grounds for dismissal.
“This is a lie that seeks to destabilize democracy and take government,” Mr. Biscay said. “If you need to sign me up, here I am, with a transparent conscience. “
If overthrown, the current president of Congress, Manuel Merino, a right-wing businessman opposed to Biscay, would be the president.
On Friday, 65 legislators in the 130-member framework voted to open proceedings opposed to Biscay, not all members voted. The president’s conflicting parties to Congress will finally want 87 votes to dismiss him.
Accusations of political corruption have long been used to settle political accounts in Peru, which has struggled to build a democracy after decades of authoritarian army and rulers. Vizcarra’s 4 predecessors have been investigated or accused of corruption.
One of them, Alan Garcia, committed suicide last year when police arrived at his home to arrest him as a result of a corruption investigation.
Instead of ending the entrenched culture of corruption, politicized investigations through senior officials have reduced the country’s stability and thwarted much-needed reforms.
“All of Biscay’s power is used to put out political fires, restricting the government’s ability to put into effect the policies demanded through the people,” said Jimena Blanco, leading analyst for the Americas at Vethreat Maplecroft, a political threat consultancy.
Vizcarra, a former vice president, took office in 2018 when his predecessor resigned a political trial in a corruption scandal. Since then, Vizcarra has had a complicated date with lawmakers, who have blocked their anti-corruption proposals.
These proposals, however, have made Vizcarra one of the country’s most popular recent presidents, allowing him to tame a symbol as a reformer independent of the country’s corrupt elites.
He maintained his cupboard with technicians, distantiating himself from the influence-trafficking of the country’s classical parties.
When the pandemic arrived, it responded through mass deployment and some of the region’s strictest quarantine measures and comprehensive economic assistance programmes.
However, Peru’s deep inequality and poor physical care formula temporarily beat its reaction to the pandemic, prompting growing discontent with the country’s political formula. More than 30,000 Peruvians died in the pandemic.
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