The President of Peru, peter castlewas saved this Monday from an impeachment by the Congress dominated by the right-wing opposition, at the end of a political trial that kept the country in suspense.
After a debate lasting more than eight hours in Congress, in which the president presented his defenses at the beginning and then 95 parliamentarians spoke, only 55 legislators voted in favor of the dismissal, 54 once morest and 19 abstained. 87 votes were required for approval.
“The resolution to declare the vacancy of the presidency of the republic was not approved,” declared the head of Congress, the opposition María del Carmen Alva, following the vote held following 11:00 p.m. local time (04:00 GMT on Tuesday).
The result of the vote was not surprising, because the Peruvian media had anticipated that the radical opponents did not have the necessary votes to remove the ruler, a 52-year-old rural teacher, from power.
«I salute that good sense, responsibility and democracy have prevailed. I recognize the parliamentarians who voted once morest the vacancy, and I respect the decision of those who did,” Castillo said on Twitter following the vote.
“I call on everyone to close this page and work together for the country’s great challenges,” he added.
“We do not assume this as a defeat,” said parliamentarian Alejandro Muñante, of the right-wing Popular Renovation party, which promoted the motion to vacate Castillo.
President Castillo is saved from being removed by the Congress of Peru
The opposition accused Castillo of lacking direction and allowing alleged corruption in his environment. In addition, they criticized his constant ministerial crises that translate into four cabinets in eight months, something unprecedented in Peru.
Castillo went to Congress to present his defenses -although he was not required by law- together with his lawyer, José Félix Palomino.
This was the second vacancy motion once morest Castillo, who assumed the presidency in July 2021 following winning a tight runoff over right-wing Keiko Fujimori. In December, Congress threw out a similar measure.
If the dismissal materializes, Castillo might have a fate similar to that of two of his predecessors, the centrist Martín Vizcarra, dismissed by Congress in November 2020, and the right-wing Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who resigned in March 2018 when it became clear that it would not survive a second impeachment trial.
“There is no proof”
The parliamentary session began with the releases of Castillo, who answered some of the questions once morest him. He later withdrew from the Chamber and the lawyer Palomino continued making the defenses.
“There is no evidence that directly links the president to any act of corruption,” Palomino told the plenary.
While Castillo’s lawyer spoke, the head of Congress temporarily suspended the session. This is due to the origin of a brawl over a sign placed on her seat by the Fujimori legislator Vivian Olivos. She said: “vacancy already” and that the ruling party demanded to withdraw.
Simultaneously, demonstrations for and once morest Castillo’s removal took place around the legislative building, with the participation of hundreds of people.
A dismissal has been in the air since his election in 2021, when his rivals denounced “fraud” despite the endorsement of his victory by the OAS, the European Union and the United States.
less votes
Congress decided two weeks ago to take Castillo to a lightning impeachment trial by 76 votes, 41 once morest and one abstention. However, this Monday the promoters of the motion only garnered 55 votes.
Coinciding with the political trial of the president, a survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies published this Monday by the newspaper La República revealed that 79% of Peruvians disapprove of the performance of Congress. This regarding the disapproval of Castillo (66%, according to the latest Ipsos poll, three points less than in February).
One of the reasons why the vacancy request became recurrent is the absence of a parliamentary majority of the government in power. This has been happening since 2016, when Peru entered into a power clash dynamic. Which led him to have up to three presidents in one week in November 2020.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States expressed its concern. He pointed out that “the presidential vacancy due to permanent moral incapacity lacks an objective definition. The same was not interpreted by the Constitutional Court of Peru. Which can affect the separation and independence of public powers.
The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) expressed its solidarity with Castillo and urged respect for the “popular will.” He himself published it in a statement on March 14.
Despite the political tension, Peru is calm and all public and private activities are taking place normally.
