Unrest erupts as Peru's Vizcarra closes Congress, but rebel lawmakers refuse to leave

Record ID: 1434551

  • Title: Unrest erupts as Peru's Vizcarra closes Congress, but rebel lawmakers refuse to leave
  • Date: 1st October 2019
  • Summary: LIMA, PERU (SEPTEMBER 30, 2019) (REUTERS) CONGRESS NAMING VICE PRESIDENT MERCEDES ARAOZ TO REPLACE VIZCARRA (NOT A SOUNDBITE) CONGRESS APPLAUDS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VICE PRESIDENT MERCEDES ARAOZ, SAYING: "The serious institutional crisis that our country is going through this afternoon has ended with an unconstitutional measure by President Vizcarra, where he has announced an illegal dissolution of the Congress of the Republic even after trust, requested by the former Prime Minister (Salvador del Solar), was given." GENERAL OF CONGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VICE PRESIDENT MERCEDES ARAOZ, SAYING: "I am temporarily assuming the presidency of the Republic, at least responding to the fact that President Vizcarra has failed to comply with 3 unconstitutional articles and according to article 117 he has incurred a cause for serious constitutional infringement." END OF SESSION
  • Embargoed: 15th October 2019 05:33
  • Keywords: Peru Congress politics crisis Lima Vizcarra Mercedes Araoz
  • Location: LIMA, PERU
  • City: LIMA, PERU
  • Country: Peru
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA004AZ9MDS7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Unrest erupted after Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra dissolved Congress on Monday (September 30) to end a yearlong battle with rightwing lawmakers over his anti-graft campaign, but rebel legislators refused to leave the chamber as protests against them started across the country.
    As dusk fell on Lima, protesters gathered outside Congress to pressure lawmakers to leave, while police in riot gear stood by. Domestic media said protests in support of Vizcarra had also started in other cities across the country.
    Peru's worst political crisis in two decades threatens unrest in the world's No. 2 copper producer and one of the region's most robust economies, and could bring lawmaking to a halt.
    Opposition representatives cried "Dictator" after Vizcarra invoked a constitutional article allowing presidents to dissolve Congress, and immediately voted to declare him temporarily suspended, naming Vice President Mercedes Araoz to replace him.
    But a government source said their efforts were void, since Congress was already officially closed.
    Vizcarra accused Popular Force, the opposition majority party led by jailed former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, of trying to use democratic institutions for personal gain.
    The party has dragged its feet on passing his anti-corruption reforms and last week shelved his bill for a snap general election to end the impasse.
    The last straw, Vizcarra said, was Congress' appointment on Monday of a new member to the top court, the Constitutional Tribunal, which would be the likely referee in a legal dispute between Congress and the government.
    Most Peruvians in recent opinion polls have expressed support for the dissolution of Congress. Vizcarra is often greeted on the streets with shouts encouraging the move.
    (Production: Carlos Valdez, Geraldine Downer)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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