The Peruvian Congress will vote for the second time whether or not to advance the elections, but Dina Boluarte said that if the proposal is rejected once more, she will present a reform of the Constitution to hold the elections.
The President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, warned that if he Congress does not approve this Monday an advance of general elections in the country for this year, Your Government will immediately send two projects so that these elections are held in any case this 2023 and, in addition, proceed to the total reform of the current Peruvian Constitution.
“The responsibility of approving the early elections this year depends solely and exclusively on Congress,” Boluarte emphasized in a televised message this Sunday.
The governor remarked that “if the consensus in Congress does not prosper” the Executive “will immediately be presenting two legislative initiatives as a matter of urgency.”
He added that his country is facing a “spiral of violence”, following the anti-government protests that have left, since last December, 65 muertos, and that the “police are attacked at close range by an organized group that wants to sow chaos, hatred among all Peruvians.”
In this context, he maintained, “In Congress, in a sterile debate, nothing concrete has been reached” to approve the advancement of elections that his government has proposed as a way of trying to respond to social protests, which also demand the resignation of the president, the closure of the Legislative and the call for a constituent assembly.
Boluarte recalled that the only agreement of the Legislative It has been to reconsider the vote this Monday, which on Friday rejected the advancement of elections for next October.
“The authorities have the duty to protect all Peruvians, this responsibility does not exempt Congress,” he said.
Boluarte will insist on early elections if the Peruvian Congress does not approve it
Referring to the announced initiatives, he said that the first will propose that a constitutional reform be debated so that the general elections “are inevitably” in October of this year, with a possible second presidential round in December.
He indicated that the norm implies incorporating special transitory provisions to provide that “the president calls general elections for the second Sunday” of October and that Congress may approve other laws to hold the elections until next February 28.
“This regulatory proposal responds to the urgent need to improve the levels of democratic legitimacy of the country’s political representation, a situation that will allow the population to institutionally channel, and not through violence, their main demands to the national political agenda,” emphasized.
The ruler said that the second project seeks to “settle the debate on the reform of the Constitution”, by proposing “that the next elected Congress entrust the Constitution Commission with the total reform of the 1993 Constitution.”
Boluarte assured that this measure “fits perfectly with the expectations of the other sector of Congress”, in reference to the leftist benches, which demand that a constituent assembly be convened.
He added that the total reform proposal would be made “taking into account the historical Constitution of Peru” and that the text, following its approval by Congress, will be submitted to a referendum “so that the people decide whether to accept it or not.”
He indicated that the proposal “seeks a wide participation of the citizenry”, since “all persons and institutions will be able to present their preliminary projects and contributions to Congress.”
Before concluding, the Head of State addressed the congressmen once more to tell them that “tomorrow they have the possibility of earning the trust of the country, meeting this long-awaited demand of the Peruvian people.”
“Vote for Peru, in favor of the country, advancing the 2023 elections, and let’s say to all of Peru with the highest responsibility that we are all leaving,” he concluded.
The project to advance the elections for next October was raised by the Fujimori congressman Hernando Guerra Garcia, but last Friday it only received 45 votes from the legislators, when it required a minimum of 87 because it was a constitutional reform, although it was later reported that a reconsideration had been presented that will be debated this Monday by the plenary session.
