Political crisis in Peru as president’s Cabinet is ousted by Congress

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s Cabinet was forced to resign yesterday after losing a vote of confidence in the opposition-controlled Congress.

The single-chamber legislature is dominated by the Popular Force party, led by Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of expresident Alberto Fujimori.

By law, the Cabinet must now be renewed and new nominees must obtain legislative approval. However if the candidates are rejected, Kuczynski can dissolve Congress and call for new legislative elections. The crisis was triggered by a motion of censure against the education minister over her handling of a lengthy teacher’s strike.