The Free Peru bench, now reduced to 16 congressmen after the resignation of parliamentarian José Balcázar, faces the challenge of maintaining power. From the political party that brought them to Congress, a formula is ratified that combines radicalism in the discourse with pragmatism in the necessary negotiations.
As a group more aligned with the party’s top leader, Vladimir Cerrón, remains in the bench, the expectation is that the differences will decrease. Meanwhile, the campaign is being reinforced for a Constituent Assembly, in which they mobilize to collect signatures. In turn, in Congress, reiterations on this claim are expected.
“Cerrón has said that they are fewer but they are the most loyal,” say party sources.
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With these 16 votes, he hopes to maintain influence in the Government moving between support and the threat of uniting with the opposition if it is perceived as losing space in power.
This week, Vladimir Cerron He had activities for the anniversary of his father’s death and in these, his relatives say, he promised loyalty to the ideology embodied in his party, despite the rejections and political casualties.
Parliamentarians who have left Peru Libre give different reasons, from the discomfort due to the vertical management of the party leader and the preferences for his brother, the congressman Waldemar Cerron, spokesperson for the caucus, to the need for independence due to differences in some specific matters.
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“There is no underlying discrepancy, but rather the need to create more benches to do a better job. In the Bermejo group there was a greater difference, apparently. In our case, we had differences in the case of the university reform and the electoral norm”, says Balcázar, the last to leave Free Peru, now a member of the new Peru Bicentennial bench.
On the other hand, pragmatism continues to characterize the actions of perulibristas. For the formation of a board of directors, which must be renewed in July, Waldemar Cerrón talks with different groups. At the end of May, he met with legislator Héctor Acuña, who aspires to preside over the Parliament.
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Thus, cerronismo considers that it reinforces its identity, even if it loses members of the bench that it had joined as allies more than as supporters. In what comes, they will continue to express differences with the Government but at the same time pointing to quotas that can give them a certain power.
In the coming weeks, there will be this management in cases such as the renewal of the board of directors.
From first force of 37 to minority of 16
Since he came to Congress as the first force, Peru Libre showed differences in its bench of 37 members, but these were more of supporters with guests.
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In December 2021, it lost 5 members due to a motion of censure against Maricarmen Alva that the cerronistas did not support and the outgoing ones made the Democratic Peru caucus. Last May, 10 left due to the election of the constitutional Court and formed the Magisterial Bloc. At the end of May, legislator Jorge Marticorena left.
Then Víctor Cutipa, Óscar Zea, Elías Varas and Jorge Coayla came out. the last one is Jose Balcazar.
Infographic – The Republic
