Peru’s president offers to resign
Move seems to be an attempt to end country’s political drama
LIMA, Peru — Embattled President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski offered his resignation Wednesday ahead of an impeachment vote, seeking to put an end to a debilitating political drama playing out just three weeks before the Andean nation is set to host U.S. President Donald Trump for a regional summit.
In a nationwide televised address, Kuczynski said he didn’t want to become an obstacle to Peru’s development. But the former Wall Street investor lashed out at opponents led by the daughter of former strongman Alberto Fujimori for plotting his overthrow with damaging leaks of confidential documents that raised doubts about his integrity during his six-decade long career in private business.
Pressure has been building on Kuczynski to resign after the shock revelation Tuesday of secretly shot videos in which several of the president’s allies were caught allegedly trying to buy the support of an opposition lawmaker to block the conservative leader’s impeachment.
The videos presented by the main opposition party purportedly show attempts by Kuczynski’s lawyer, a government official, and Fujimori’s son Kenji trying to convince the lawmaker to back the president in exchange for a hand in state contracts in his district.
Kuczynski said the videos had been heavily edited to smear him and recalled practices from “sad days of Peru’s history that we thought had been overcome.”