Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra is set to be subjected to a second impeachment vote in the space of two months, after a coalition of the opposition forced through a motion that argues the “permanent moral incapacity” of the incumbent leader to lead the country. The motion was led by Union for Peru and supported by lawmakers from Popular Action, Broad Front, and We Can Peru. They allege that corruption during Vizcarra’s tenure as Moquegua governor from 2011 to 2014 should prevent him from staying in power.
This follows a similar procedure in September, when congressional lawmakers alleged that Vizcarra had ‘obstructed’ and investigation into a $50,000 contract for a singer hired to give “motivational talks to public employees”. That motion was dismissed quite resoundingly, with only 32 votes in favor of an impeachment, compared to 78 votes against and 15 abstentions.
The latest accusation is that he accepted $670,000 in bribes from a construction company in his capacity as Moquegua governor. The motion has now been escalated to an impeachment debate and vote scheduled for next Monday after 60 members of congress voted in favor (40 voted against, and 18 abstained). During the vote next week, however, opponents of Vizcarra will require a two-thirds majority, or 87 votes, to successfully impeach him.
Local political experts contend that it is highly unlikely that the opposition will secure the required 87 votes. Nevertheless, regardless of the outcome, this is sure to damage his political reputation and undermine his governance and project an image of instability under his rule. This point has been acknowledged by Vizcarra himself, who has said that an impeachment trial “destabilizes the country”.
That being said, he does hold popular support and most Peruvians appear to oppose the ongoing impeachment proceedings. This comes ahead of the nation’s general elections in April 2021.
Vizcarra, for his part, has denounced political opponents for essentially turning impeachment hearings into a “custom”. In fact, Vizcarra was Peru’s vice president from 2016 to 2018 and only ascended to power when former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was impeached on corruption charges. Vizcarra now represents the fifth Peruvian president to be investigated for corruption during this decade alone; three of them are under house arrest, while Alan García committed suicide just as police were preparing to arrest him.
The President has vowed to not bow down to increasing political pressure, declaring, “I am not going to resign,” adding, “I have a commitment to Peru and I will fulfill it until the last day of my mandate.”
Peruvian Congress Approves Motion to Launch Impeachment Vote Against President Vizcarra
This is the second impeachment vote against Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra in the space of two months.
November 4, 2020
IMAGE SOURCE: ANDINA / PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF PERUPeruvian President Martín Vizcarra