Peru’s Congress closed; rebels refuse to leave
LIMA: Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra dissolved Congress yesterday to end a yearlong battle with rightwing lawmakers over his antigraft campaign, but rebel legislators refused to leave the chamber as protests against them started across the country.
Peru’s worst political crisis in two decades threatens unrest and could bring lawmaking to a halt.
‘‘Peruvian people, we have done all we could,’’ Vizcarra said in a televised message. He vowed to call new legislative elections to let voters weigh in on a dispute he says has stymied his bid to stamp out graft in the ruling class.
Opposition representatives cried ‘‘Dictator’’ after Vizcarra invoked a constitutional article allowing presidents to dissolve Congress, and immediately voted to declare him temporarily suspended, naming Vicepresident Mercedes Araoz to replace him.
But a government source said their efforts were void, since Congress was already officially closed.
Peru’s police and the joint command of Peru’s military branches subsequently said they recognised Vizcarra as president and as the head of the armed forces and police.
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 anticorruption reforms and last week shelved his Bill for a snap general election to end the impasse.
The last straw, Vizcarra said, was Congress’ appointment yesterday of a new member to the Constitutional Tribunal, which would be the likely referee in a legal dispute between Congress and the Government. — Reuters