In light of what has happened in recent weeks, it is almost a given that there will be no early general elections in October of this year, that the president Dina Boluarte will not resign, that the congressmen will continue in their seats, and that both the Executive and the Legislative will wait, from the stands, for the protests in the streets to subside.
On Friday, the president asked the parliamentarians to “reconsider the advancement of elections.” Yesterday, the president of the Congress, Joseph Williamsclearly responded that everything is in the hands of the Plenary, where – according to congressman Carlos Anderson – “there are at least two thirds of parliamentarians (87) who do not have the political will” to address the issue.
LOOK: Dina Boluarte to Congress: “Repropose the early elections”
NO WHITE SMOKE
In statements to journalists, the head of the Legislature practically ruled out that, in what remains of the extended legislature, which concludes this Friday the 17th, the discussion of the Executive’s project to advance elections can be resumed, and rather moved the matter to the next legislature, which begins in March.
He explained that there is always the possibility that this week the benches reach an agreement to include the issue on the Plenary’s agenda. However, he said that, if the request is approved, the initiative would be referred to the Constitution Commission, which “will review it in due time, it has a seven-day deadline for publication and must be voted on again in plenary session.” . Along these lines, Williams added that the most feasible thing is that it will be discussed as of March “and then we will see what will happen. I, on behalf of the Board of Directors, urge the congressmen to reach an agreement and reach the best solution for the population, ”he said, after informing that, in addition to the Executive’s approach, there are three other proposals in the pipeline.
“I think that things are definitely not lost. There is always a chance that they will be fixed; the matter is that they are solved in the best possible way. There will always be the possibility that Congress reaches an agreement, it is a matter for each of the parliamentary groups and that the congressmen themselves can understand that there is never a win-win, something is won, something is lost; The issue is to reach an agreement and reach what is best for the citizens, ”he said.
For Anderson, however, there is no will in Congress, nor in the Executive to reach an agreement.
“It is very possible that everything stays the same, it would be irresponsible; They are betting that the street will be forgotten, that everything is over. We need to legitimize the government, legitimize Congress through elections that will no longer take place this year, there is no more time,” the legislator declared to Peru21.
Diego Bazán, from Avanza País, for his part, said that the possibility of reaching consensus happens because not only political and electoral reforms are set aside as a requirement for an early election but also the consultation for a Constituent Assembly, something about which that –unfortunately– the different political blocs do not seem willing to cede.
I KNEW THAT
Only four benches – Fuerza Popular, Perú Libre, Cambio Democrático and Podemos Peru – signed the request to expand the agenda of the Plenary, in order to evaluate the possibility that the projects on advancement of elections can be seen in this legislature. and their discussion should not be postponed until July.
The Magisterial Bloc, which initially supported the request, withdrew its signature, alleging that it does not include the consultation for a Constituent Assembly.
