At the closing of this note, the plenary session of Congress had not yet voted on any bill to advance elections. There were two alternatives formally presented: one for the new elections to be held in April 2023 and another for 2024.
Yesterday, despite the fact that the wave of protests continued in the country, with thousands of citizens demanding that they all leave, the president of Congress, José Williams, extended the legislature until January 31 of next year. The objective is that the initiatives to advance elections and other reforms that accompany this electoral process are discussed until that month.
Williams’s argument is that this deadline is to “achieve a consensus that involves all parliamentary groups.” The truth is that within these reforms is the return to bicamerality and congressional re-election. The right-wing benches, such as Fujimorismo, cling to this possibility.
At 3 in the afternoon, the Minister of Justice, José Tello, attended; the president of the National Elections Jury (JNE), Jorge Luis Salas; the head of the ONPE, Piero Corvetto; and the head of Reniec, Carmen Velarde, to participate in the debate on the advancement of elections in plenary.
Minister Tello supported the Executive’s proposal for elections for 2024 and also the possibility of it being in December 2023, as President Dina Boluarte slightly announced on Tuesday.
“With a 2024 scenario, you could have political reforms; by 2023 it could not be given. Our position is that we make a sounding board for the feelings of the population, ”said the head of the Minjus.
Then the president of the JNE took the floor. Salas Arenas emphasized that the risk of not strictly complying with the deadlines and stages of an electoral process “is having any result and that it is not accepted. So, all this set of phases make up the electoral due process. The phrases cannot be cut at will because we would harm a quality electoral process, ”he said.
One of those stages is the primary elections. In 2019, Parliament passed that law. However, for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 elections, the congressmen modified, through transitory provisions, the electoral norms so that this reform is not applied in a mandatory manner in political parties and prevented citizens from also defining their electoral offer.
For this reason, the head of the ONPE, when it was his turn to participate, stressed that, if the elections are brought forward and this norm is applied in all its magnitude, there will be three electoral days: primary elections, open and mandatory in the parties; the first and the second round.
The Reniec boss was also emphatic about deadlines. “The electoral system guarantees the process. And that process can occur at any time, it can be bigger or smaller. But what kind of process do we want? Do we want a quality one? Do we want a smaller process? But quality? ”, She questioned.
Then it was the turn of the congressmen. Ruth Luque, from Cambio Democrático, recalled that in 2020 there were congressional elections with an electoral process that had lasted four months. The president of the JNE stressed that these elections were complementary and, due to time, the reforms approved in 2019 were not applied.
“When there was talk of four months, there was no parity and alternation and there were no primary elections. Those are issues that must be maintained. Here we can make the election in three months. But what quality is there? The times are made to solve the electoral problem, ”he replied.
The head of the ONPE added along these lines that the “primaries will allow citizens to be close to political organizations and have better representation.”
Amid the fervor, Fujimori congressmen Alejandro Aguinaga and Víctor Flores demanded that Salas and Corvetto also leave.
Legislators Flavio Cruz and Alex Flores demanded that the new electoral process include the call for a referendum for a constituent assembly.
delaying strategy
At 6:30 in the afternoon, the representatives of the electoral entities withdrew. Parliamentarians Susel Paredes and Digna Calle asked for the initiatives to be voted on, but received no response.
In the Hemicycle, the debate became circular. Two hours after interventions, there was still no consensus. The president of Congress requested a minute of silence for the deaths registered in the regions, but he did not show any gesture of wanting to expedite the vote on any project.
The discussion will continue today, but it is not certain that any ruling will be voted on. The spokesmen for the right and Fujimorismo have closed ranks to postpone the deliberation.
reactions
Ruth Luque, congresswoman Cambio Democrático
“This is a political problem. In 2020, that electoral process (to elect congressmen) was organized in four months. We are not in a normal situation. We should make a decision today.”
Luis Aragón, Popular Action legislator
“I would ask that the president of the JNE answer the questions. I have clearly asked, according to the electoral schedule, when would the primary, open and mandatory elections take place?
Hernando Guerra, Popular Force parliamentarian
“When we invited them to see the advance of the elections (to the Constitution Commission), they did not attend (the representatives of the JNE and the ONPE). It’s clear to me that they don’t want to compromise.”
Jorge Marticorena, congressman Peru Bicentennial
“The crisis is political and we have to find the solution in Congress. They have given us two deadlines. If we are going to give an election only for the photo, that is not responsible. The people demand reform.”
Boluarte summoned the Congress
Yesterday, President Dina Boluarte stressed her proposal to advance the elections. “From this space, I call on Congress to make the best decisions to shorten the deadlines and make the necessary reforms. Here we all go. Executive and Legislative ”, she stated in Surco.
“Neither violence nor radicalism will end a legal and legitimate government. There is no room for fear, but for the courage, unity and hope of a country that deserves more from its politicians. Therefore, attending to the claim of the citizens, I want to ratify the proposal of my Government to advance the elections, ”he stressed.
On Wednesday, Boluarte slipped the possibility of advancing the elections to December 2023. He has not referred to this alternative again.
