(Bloomberg) — Peru’s Congress approved the vacancy motion against President Pedro Castillo, the second ouster attempt in four months.
The motion was presented on Tuesday by opposition legislator Jorge Montoya and was approved by 76 votes, a figure very close to the number needed to remove a president.
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Castillo will now have to appear in Congress for his defense, or send his lawyer to do so. At least 87 of the 130 members of the unicameral congress would need to vote to impeach him for so-called permanent moral incapacity.
The move to get rid of Castillo came after Karelim López, a businesswoman investigated for alleged money laundering, expressed her willingness to cooperate with prosecutors. Her lawyer told local media that López revealed information about people close to Castillo involved in irregularities in the bidding process for a contract to build a bridge.
Castillo has denied the accusations and says López was politically motivated.
Castillo took office in July and in December survived a first impeachment attempt. Peruvian law makes it relatively easy to remove a head of state from office. Former President Martín Vizcarra was impeached in 2020, and nearly every president in recent history has been charged, jailed, or required in criminal investigations.
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Peruvian Congress Votes to Start Castillo’s Impeachment Process
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