Peru News and Links

Congress has less than four months to pass reforms (Spanish) Looking ahead to 2024. The Constitution Commission begins today the deliberation of four proposals: election of the comptroller, accusing the president in his mandate, congressional elections in the second round and impediments to run. Bicamerality, re-election and the constituent assembly remain to be debated. Diego Quispe A bad habit of the last two congresses was to approve transitional provisions to extend the deadline for modifying the electoral rules, even when the electoral process is already convened and underway. The electoral law stipulates that electoral rules cannot be changed within one year of the election. For now, no congressman has introduced any bill to lengthen the times. Congress has, for the moment, less than four months to approve the reforms that will govern the eventual electoral process of 2024. The commission charged with discussing these rules is the Constitution Commission. Its presiden...

Peru Congress Moves Up General Elections to April 2024 (full article) The early election proposal, passing by a 93-30 vote, would need to be ratified in another vote in the upcoming months, according to the leader of the legislature, Jose Williams. Peru's Congress has voted to move up general elections from 2026 to April 2024 in a bid to ease political tensions and head off deadly protests sparked by the ouster and arrest of Pedro Castillo. Lawmakers voted 93-30 on Tuesday with one abstention to approve the change in the electoral calendar. The measure also stipulated that current President Dina Boluarte hand power to the winner of those elections in July 2024. The leader of the legislature, Jose Williams, said for the measure to take effect, it would need to be ratified in another vote in the coming months. Tags: #Peru #Congress #Early elections

 Opinion: What is Behind the Support for Pedro Castillo and that Lima Doesn't Want to Understand by Francesca Emanuele Neither the broken promises nor the signs of corruption and not even the attempted coup have been reasons for many of Castillo's supporters to turn their backs on him. The former president has ceased to represent expectations of change, but he still symbolizes —today more than ever— structural discrimination in Peru. In Lima, the political, economic, and intellectual elites are intrigued. They continue to seek an explanation for the large number of Peruvians who protest to demand the freedom of Pedro Castillo. And a greater bewilderment is caused by the smaller group that demands the restitution of the president's vacancy. It is understandable that the ruling classes are disoriented. They have been disconnected from the rest of the country for decades. They move comfortably through a notorious Lima apartheid, reproducing dynamics that accentuate their incli...