They turned their backs on the country. The Plenary of Congress rejected this morning, by 65 votes, the constitutional reform project to hold general elections next October. Consequently, the claim of large sectors of citizens to cut the mandate of the President of the Republic, Dina Boluarte, to December 31, was not met.
LOOK: Dina Boluarte asks Congress to set the date of advancement of elections
Had the replacement text presented by the head of the Constitution Commission, Hernando Guerra García, been approved in plenary session, Boluarte’s successor would have assumed office on January 1, 2024 until July 28, 2029.
Likewise, the Andean congressmen and parliamentarians would have finished their term on December 30 so that their replacements take office on December 31, 2023 until July 26, 2029. But all that remained on paper.
A tacit alliance between the blocks of the extreme right and the extreme left prevented the approval of the proposal, which only obtained the endorsement of 45 legislators. Two others abstained.
In the course of the debate, the different blocks formulated a series of suggestions. In some cases, so that the general elections take place not in October but within four months, that is, in April of this year. In other cases, the approach was to include in the document the holding of a referendum on the convocation of a Constituent Assembly.
Once again, from both blocks there were recriminations. Avanza País reiterated that the new electoral schedule, without the necessary political reforms, will “perpetuate” the crisis, while Renovación Popular, through Jorge Montoya, ratified its opposition, alleging that it weakens the institutional framework. In addition, he warned that they would present an action of unconstitutionality before the Constitutional Court if the norm was approved. Some left-wing blocks such as Peru Libre, meanwhile, insisted on making their endorsement conditional on a referendum on the Constituent Assembly and the resignation of President Dina Boluarte. Alianza para el Progreso, in turn, said that it would endorse the change in the electoral schedule and that it would seek to reach agreements on minimal political reforms that guarantee the election of better authorities. Finally, however, the project was not approved although a reconsideration was presented that will be discussed this Monday.
EXECUTIVE SAVES
Earlier, President Dina Boluarte left the final decision regarding the advancement of general elections in the hands of Parliament. “Agree, say that day (it is) the elections and at that moment we will be calling so that freely, democratically, without blackmail, the Peruvian people can elect new congressmen and a new presidential formula and in 2023 we will all leave,” stressed.
The president also distanced herself from the “radical left” which, she said, makes it a condition for progress to go through the Constituent Assembly. “It is one more justification to be able to radicalize and continue bloodying the country,” she said.
KEEP IN MIND:
- President Boluarte confirmed that the Executive did discuss the possibility of presenting a project to anticipate the elections to 2023.
- The head of Justice, José Tello, said that some reforms could be processed with a view to the elections.
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