ZCZC
BFF-21
PERU-POLITICS
Peru president dissolves parliament, calls fresh elections
LIMA, Oct 1, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Peru’s president dissolved parliament and
called for fresh elections Monday, prompting a vote by lawmakers to suspend
him, deepening a long-running institutional crisis.
The announcement by President Martin Vizcarra came after he warned
Congress he would dissolve the body if it continued to block a raft of anti-
corruption reforms and changes to the way judges are appointed to the
country’s Supreme Court.
Shortly after his televised statement, Congress voted to suspend Vizcarra
for one year on the grounds of “moral incapacity” and nominated Vice
President Mercedes Araoz as acting head of state.
The chamber will meet Friday to consider a motion to dismiss Vizcarra,
House Speaker Pedro Olaechea said.
“We are facing a coup d’etat,” opposition legislator Jorge del Castillo
said of Vizcarra’s move. “I hope the armed forces and the police will stay
out of this charade.”
This crisis is the culmination of a political dispute running for several
years in Peru.
Vizcarra has repeatedly clashed with Congress, which is dominated by the
Popular Force party of Keiko Fujimori, who is herself in prison pending trial
on corruption charges linked to Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1220HRS