The president of the National Jury of Elections (JNE), Jorge Luis Salas Arenasreported to the Public Ministry (MP) having received death threats through a Twitter account.
From the address @siniestro_8814, the user called “clandestine far-right” responded to a tweet from the official JNE account with the following phrase: “Go away, Salas Arenas… get away, CORRUPT… you have been warned”. The message was attached to a close-up photo of a bullet.
The tweet has been removed for violating Twitter rules. However, the @siniestro_8814 account remains active.
“This act of intimidation puts the life and integrity of the head of this electoral body at serious risk that deserves the urgent attention of its client”, says the official letter signed by the central director of Institutional Management of the JNE, Eduardo García, sent to the general secretary of the MP, Fiorella Casique Alvizuri.
The official letter requests that the MP, “immediately, take the corresponding actions in the exercise of its constitutional functions” in response to precautionary measure No. 607-2021 issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which ordered that The Peruvian State must guarantee the continuity of the work of the head of the JNE “without being subjected to threats, harassment or acts of violence in the exercise of their functions”.
Release
Yesterday the JNE also released a statement before the recent sentence of the Constitutional Court (TC) that recommends modifying article 99 of the Constitution so that the representatives of the JNEof the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) and of the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status (Reniec) can be constitutionally denounced.
“We consider that it violates the principles that sustain a Constitutional and democratic rule of lawabove all to the principles of separation of powers, independence, autonomy and impartiality, allowing an eminently political body such as the Congress have the competence to exercise control of the decisions issued by jurisdictional and electoral bodies such as the JNE,” the statement said.
In this regard, the professor of Constitutional Law, Pedro Grández, warned that a faction of Congress is interested in disqualifying the president of the JNE, “and that only happens when the possibility of politically prosecuting a high official is opened up under criteria that are subjective and political”.
He added that, if Congress could impeach the representatives of the electoral management bodieswould be the equivalent of the footballers being able to maneuver the referee at will.
For his part, the lawyer specializing in electoral law Jorge Jáuregui pointed out that the function of the CT in the Peruvian democratic system is to be an axis to protect the balance of powers. “And that function is not being fulfilled because it contributes to those who make elections and those who administer justice in electoral material They may be subject to a political trial that does not demand a fair procedure and with guarantees,” he commented.
“Very dangerous for democracy”
In his statement, the JNE indicates that it is “at least very dangerous for democracy and the institutions of our country” that political authorities, such as congressmen, can sanction electoral authorities “on the basis of a political and not a legal assessment.”
“(Congressmen) would have the power to sanction those who exercise jurisdiction in causes that are directly related to their political interestsconfiguring a clear violation of the right to be tried by impartial judges”, warns the JNE.
The complaint before the MP
This is the office that was sent from the JNE to account for the threat against Jorge Salas Arenas.
