The unicameral Congress of Peru resumed this Thursday the debate on a project that postulates bringing forward the general elections scheduled for 2026 for this year, but with the addition of the call for a referendum to see if it is necessary to convene a constituent assembly.
The initiative, proposed by the left-wing Perú Libre (PL) party, was rejected by several center-right groups that oppose opening the chance for a constitutional reform, so it was expected that it would not prosper.
The session began shortly before 3:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. in Argentina) and In the first section, a motion that proposed reconsidering a minority opinion prepared by congressmen Alejandro Cavero and Adriana Tudela to hold the elections in 2024 was rejected in a vote, by 69 to 53.which has been rejected.
Then, The debate on the initiative promoted by PL began, which contemplates that both the elections and the referendum take place on the second Sunday of July of this year and that the new president assumes office on September 30according to the live broadcast of the Congress channel on YouTube.
With 70 votes against, #PlenoDelCongreso rejected the reconsideration of the vote on the Question of Order to include in the debate the minority opinion, presented by congressmen Cavero Alva and Tudela Gutiérrez, on the advancement of elections in April 2024. pic.twitter.com/ImgWuRskHv
— Congress of Peru ?? (@congresoperu) February 2, 2023
Earlier, the Government once again urged Congress to reach an agreement on a date to advance the elections, after a project that planned to hold elections this year failed in the Legislature on Wednesdaya demand from a large part of the population in the midst of the crisis that has been shaking the country for almost two months.
“Please, listen to the citizens, we have to get out of this crisis that is taking place and it is in the hands of Congress to have a solution for the development and well-being of our country,” Defense Minister Jorge Chávez told the press. according to the state news agency Andina.
Chávez recalled that the government of President Dina Boluarte sought to “provide a possible solution” by presenting a proposal to advance the elections to October 8 of this year.
“We hope that Congress will promptly, if possible in the next few days, put this bill on the agenda and once again discuss and reflect on the need for peace and tranquility that the country requires and a correct reading of the meaning of the law. The urgency that the democratic perspective needs in these very difficult moments for the country”, said the Chief of Staff, Alberto Otárola, when presenting the bill last night.
For her part, the president called on all sectors to put aside their differences and “work together” and assured that her government remains “firm to defend democracy.”
“I want to make an exhortation to all sectors so that we put aside our differences and focus on working together at this time. Peruvian men and women ask to put an end to confrontation and polarization once and for all. It is time to think about Peru. We cannot plunge the country into uncertainty and anxiety,” said the president during an activity in Piura, in the northwest of the country.
At the same time, Boluarte, who on December 7 took office instead of Castillo, dismissed and detained for wanting to dissolve Congress and establishing an emergency government, blamed his predecessor for “the violence” of some of the demonstrators in the protests that have taken place in recent weeks in the country, which have left almost 50 dead.
“The violence, radicalism and polarization directed from a place in the Diroes is not going to make us lower our heads or morale,” he said, referring to the prison where Castillo is being held, according to RPP radio.
After a debate of about five hours and dozens of speeches, the initiative of Fujimori Hernando Guerra, head of the Constitution Commission, failed on Wednesday after getting only 54 in favor, 68 against and two abstentions. To be approved, it needed at least 87 votes,
#CongressReports | resumed on #PlenoDelCongreso. https://t.co/ZSm03DKvcz
— Congress of Peru ?? (@congresoperu) February 2, 2023
His initiative was complex: he proposed complementary general elections for December of this year, the end of President Boluarte’s term on April 30, 2024, and that the elected president complete the 2021-26 period.
The acting congressmen, meanwhile, would end their representation on April 29, 2024 and the new ones would also assume office to complete their mandate until July 2026.
The proposal was intended to be an alternative to the hampered panorama facing the legislature, which has not been able to respond to the demands of almost two months of protests in the streets, road blockades, attacks on public institutions and the seizure of airports.
PL and the other leftist blocks voted against all the projects to advance elections because they want the people to be consulted on the possibility of modifying the magna carta.
In December, Congress had approved bringing the elections forward to April 2024, but the persistence of the protests forced the president to demand another advance.
The Minister of Justice assured this Thursday that the Boluarte government “has no intention” of sustaining itself beyond 2023For this reason, the proposal he presented contemplates a first electoral round on October 8 and a ballot between November and December, so that the new authorities take office on January 1, 2024.
“What we hope (with this initiative) is that there will be almost five years of stability, since the project proposes a term of office for July 28, 2028,” he explained.
Parallel to the political crisis, the protests continued this Thursday in various areas of the country, including Lima, where in the morning dozens of residents of Puno and Cusco (southeast) mobilized at the doors of the two main private television channels in the country. .
“They do not report the truth”; “Genocidal press” was read on the banners of this protest to denounce what they consider biased coverage in favor of the Boluarte government.
