The opposition bench in Congress to the current Peruvian government formalized this Thursday (25) a request for impeachment of the country’s president, leftist Pedro Castillo, for “permanent moral incapacity.”
The motion was filed by the third vice president of Congress, the rightist Patricia Chirinos, with 28 signatures, two more than the minimum required by Peruvian law for it to be discussed in the first instance.
For the request to advance in Congress, 52 votes in favor are needed, and for the president to be impeached, the votes in favor of 87 of 130 congressmen are needed.
The document was signed by politicians from the right-wing parties Renovação Popular, Avança Pais and Força Popular, led by Keiko Fujimori, who in June lost his third consecutive presidential election – and this time to Castillo himself.
Among the arguments for Castillo’s “moral incapacity” is an alleged illegal use of resources for his election campaign this year while representing the Marxist party Peru Livre, from which he later withdrew.
In addition, the text highlights that he named as employees people “linked to terrorism and accused of apology for terrorism” and the crime of influence peddling in the promotions of military personnel and heads of the National Customs and Tax Administration Superintendence (Sunat).
The impeachment request alleges a “weakening of the country’s democratic system”, “strengthening relations with undemocratic governments like Venezuela’s and endorsing the intervention of foreign personalities in internal affairs”, including former Bolivian president Evo Morales.
The signatories add that during the Castillo government, which began on July 28, there was a “weakening of freedom of expression”, as well as “bad treatment of the press and refusal to be accountable to society”, and a “permissibility to violence against the women”.
Although the government’s impeachment submission has yet to be responded to, Prime Minister Mirtha Vásquez last week said the move could represent an attack “against the will of the people and therefore against democracy.” She sent a letter to the president of Congress to express her concern.
Peruvian Vice President Dina Boluarte, who is also Minister of Development and Social Inclusion, asked Congress to “reflect in order to work for a united country” and claimed that the government “has not received a minute of rest”.
Castillo, in turn, challenged on Tuesday (23) opposition congressmen who are calling for his impeachment to demand his removal in the streets, “and not within four walls”.
#Opposition #calls #impeachment #Peruvian #president #moral #incapacity