A little 10 months into his government, President peter castle shows signs of wanting to carry out —or trying to carry out— one of his main campaign promises: the total reform of the Political Constitution of Peru in 1993. Last Friday, he announced that he will present a bill to Congress so that in the next municipal and regional elections the citizenry is consulted whether or not they agree with a new Magna Carta.
Nevertheless, the reformist aspirations of Castillo Terrones would not be debated in the plenary session of Congress. The immediate step after the entry of an initiative is the study in commissions. As it is a modification to the Magna Carta, the working group to which the Government’s proposal would reach is the Constitution and Regulations Commission, chaired by the Fujimori Patricia Juarez.
In his management, Juárez Gallegos has favorably ruled on questioned initiativessuch as the norm that limits the question of trust and the one that restricts the referendum, which led the Executive Power to initiate actions of unconstitutionality before the TC.
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Initiative would be shelved
Taking into account the political tendencies of the benches, everything indicates that the bill would be sent to the file in the Constitution Commission itself.
It is expected that the trident of the opposition to the Government —Fuerza Popular, Avanza País and Popular Renovation— vote against any total reform of the Constitution.
to this group Alliance for Progress would be addedwhose leader Cesar Acuna He stated that a referendum such as the one announced by Castillo Terrones “paralyzes investment, generates confusion and is not a priority or convenient.”
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“Peru does not need polarization, but consensus and a new cabinet to get out of the serious political, economic and institutional crisis that we are suffering,” tweeted Acuña Peralta.
Somos Perú would also adhere to this position. Its spokesman José Jerí asserted that “our country does not require at this time neither a constituent assembly nor a new constitution.” “Our country requires work, growth, stability to be attractive for investment,” he stressed.
Similarly, Acción Popular would be inclined to reject an initiative as such because the regular members are Luis Aragón and Wilson Soto, who —compared to other of their colleagues— have always been critical of the Pedro Castillo government.
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In this way, 12 of 19 congressmen who make up the Constitution Commission would bet on filing the Executive’s initiative to implement a referendum in the 2022 elections.
Only the leftist benches would support the project
Peru Libre and Cambio Democrático (former Together for Peru) would be the only parliamentary groups with a presence in the Constitution Commission that would support President Pedro Castillo’s proposal. In said working group, the aforementioned benches add 6 votes.
| Stand | Congressmen who make up the Constitution Commission | Position on a new Constitution |
|---|---|---|
| People’s Force | Patricia Juárez, Alejandro Aguinaga, Jorge Morante, Martha Moyano | Against |
| Alliance for Progress | Gladys Echaiz, Eduardo Salhuana | Against |
| Country advances | Adriana Tudela, Alejandro Cavero | Against |
| Free Peru | Jose Balcazar, Guido Bellido, Waldemar Cerron, Victor Cutipa, Jaime Quito | A favor |
| Democratic Change | Edgard Reymundo | A favor |
| We can | Jose Elijah | ——- |
| We are Peru | Wilmar Elera | Against |
| People’s Renewal | Alexander Munante | Against |
| People’s Action | Luis Aragon, Wilson Soto | Against |