Replicas. Head of the PCM, Alberto Otárola, reported that the legal initiative that calls for general elections for October and the one that calls for the next representation to renew the Constitution are already in Congress. It remains to be seen what the Legislature will respond to.
They had four days to reach an agreement and find an agreed projectbut the intransigence of the legislators generated that the Congress failed yesterday to advance the general elections for this year.
Given this, the President Dina Boluarte complied with what she had announced on Sunday.
“I regret that Congress has not reached the necessary consensus to advance the elections. As I announced in the last message to the nation, we will immediately present the bill so that Peruvians can democratically elect their authorities in 2023”published in the official account of the Presidency on Twitter.
The President of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otárolawent to the door of the Palace to reinforce the message.
“We have entered the table of parts of the Congress a bill that by constitutional mandate has the character of urgent and priority a legislative initiative in which we are proposing the advancement of general elections for the year 2023,” he said.
There is expectation for the response from Congress, but Boluarte has asked to be a priority.
“We reiterate our call for this legislative initiative to be viewed by Parliament with responsibility and the urgency that the country demands,” said the head of state.
Otárola joined the request and urged Parliament to debate this initiative soon “to achieve the necessary peace in Peru after a month of demonstrations in various regions“.
Fujimorist failure
The mess in the Legislative began when the president of the Constitution Commission, “Nano” Guerra García, prepared a substitute text, seeking the endorsement of the right-wing bencheswhich established that this year’s elections are complementary and that the mandate of Boluarte and the parliamentarians ends in April 2024.
Thus, the door was open for congressmen to apply and fight for re-election. But that was not enough for the fujimorista either garcia war so that their majority opinion receives the support of Popular Renewal, Avanza País and Popular Action.
Guerra García’s substitute text was rejected: only 54 congressmen voted in favor, 68 against and 2 abstained. A failure of Fujimorismo, which controls the Constitution Commission, and of Congress itself.
popular renewal insisted that their term (which ends in 2026) cannot be shortened, and the parliamentarians of Free Peru, Democratic Peru, Bicentennial Peru and Magisterial Block They insisted that these elections include a referendum for a constituent assembly. a faction of Popular Action and Avanza País affirmed that the complementary elections will not resolve the political crisis, while Democratic Change He described Guerra García’s substitute text as a “crude maneuver” by proposing an electoral process in which his colleagues can apply and seek re-election.
Only the political groups of people force, Alliance for Progress, Podemos Perupartially We are Peru, Popular Action and those not grouped supported the opinion. But that was not enough. He did not even reach the 66 votes that would have allowed him to be subjected to referendum.
failure consummated, there was only one option left, the minority opinion presented by the congressman of Perú Libre Jaime Quito. This proposes a first electoral round in four months and that a referendum for a constituent assembly be included in that vote.
A new debate was about to start when Alejandro Cavero (Avanza País) interrupted it and tried to present another minority opinion so that the general elections are held in April 2024 and take advantage of it to consult the public if the sentenced for terrorism, kidnapping and qualified homicide They can be candidates. So, to include him in the discussion, he raised a point of order, but it was rejected with 58 votes against, 52 votes in favor and 2 abstentions. Playing the last card of him, Adriana Tudelafrom Avanza País, raised a reconsideration to vote again today on that point of order and save Cavero’s initiative.
At 5:15 in the afternoon, the president of the Congress, Joseph Williams, overwhelmed, with congressmen from Peru Libre demanding him in the middle of the chamber, with his colleagues arguing behind his back and isolated, he suspended the session until today at 10 in the morning. In this plenary session, the reconsideration of Tudela and the minority opinion of Jaime Quito, from Peru Libre, will be voted on.
The fear of the right
At the closing of this note, Avanza País did not have enough votes for its proposal to be included in the debate. His alliance with Fujimorismo is weakened, to the point that his congressmen Adriana Tudela and Rosangella Barbarán, from Fuerza Popular, had a public argument.
“With the vote on the point of order, it was demonstrated that the votes were not even available for April 2024. Fuerza Popular alerted him because the left wanted to force a referendum to put pressure on the constituent. The constituent assembly, by no means,” Barbarán tweeted.
Tudela was not far behind and replied: “Before you kicked the board and sabotaged the advance to 2024, there was not even a possibility.”
The same situation is going through the initiative of Quito Sarmiento. Without the votes of the right, it will be impossible for him to obtain the 87 votes in favor. Although Tudela, in statements to channel N, expressed his fear that the minority opinion of Peru Libre will get 66 votes. Tudela assured that a sector of Acción Popular and Podemos Peru have not closed ranks against the possibility of a constituent assembly and that, therefore, this represents a risk.
The benches of Free Peru, Bicentennial Peru, Democratic Peru, Magisterial Block and Democratic Change they have 42 congressmen. They are 24 votes away from obtaining a referendum so that the citizens are consulted if they want the general elections to be brought forward for this year and if they endorse that in that electoral process they are consulted if they agree with a constituent assembly to draft a new one Constitution.
In the 2021 electoral campaign, the candidates of Acción Popular, Alianza para el Progreso, Partido Morado and Podemos Peru did not rule out the total reform of the Constitution of 1993.
The fear of Avanza País and other right-wing parties is that a group of congressmen from these political forces will join the left. Otherwise, if the opinions of Quito and Cavero are rejected, the advancement of elections, through Congress, will be a closed chapter until the new legislature.
Although the president has complied with presenting a bill so that they all leave in October of this year, this initiative, by addressing the same request of Guerra García’s first opinion, could not be discussed in this legislature, said sources in Congress. .
In any case, if the Legislature insists on acting with its back to the country, there would only be one legal way to advance the elections: the resignation of Boluarte.
Vote on the reconsideration to re-vote the 2024 election bill and bring it forward to 2023
PL rejected and PL under debate
The substitute text presented by “Nano” Guerra García did not find an echo even in the right-wing benches that were allies of Fujimorismo.
Minority opinion of Jaime Quito, of Peru Libre: elections this year and referendum for a constituent assembly. It will be debated today in plenary.
Boluarte’s resignation would force them to go to elections
Focus by: Fernando Tuesta, political scientist
The important thing is to see what capacity exists for the bills sent to Congress last night by President Dina Boluarte to be approved. As we have seen, Congress has had serious difficulties in achieving a minimum of consensus, and we have seen that two opinions have been rejected.
It is difficult to understand how a new project, in a sense even with greater restrictions for the desire of the majority of congressmen, can have a better future.
That’s for one of the projects. The second is inapplicable. The current Congress cannot limit the functions of the next Congress, as the president pointed out. It would be necessary to see the wording of the text in any case.
Another thing: in the first of the projects, the one referring to the elections being this year, on October 8, 2023, it would seem that there was no political group that was in favor; So, is it a political act? Of course. But, if there is no possibility of support, it would just be a salute to the flag.
As to whether Boluarte’s projects could repeat the situation seen in Congress in recent sessions, well yes, and it could be worse. The last replacement text barely reached – I understand – 54 votes, what would make us think that this new project is going to reach a higher number?
It is also difficult. It’s not even 54 anymore, it’s about 87 and that it be ratified in the next legislature. I see it with very little viability really.
It is clear that we are still trapped. The only possibility that what President Dina Boluarte does could have any effect is her own resignation. This would force an immediate call for elections. Is that the only way out for now? Yes, to the extent that it is in her hands. It is immediate, there is no further procedure than presenting it.
