The Peruvian Congress approved on Monday a request to reconsider the vote that last Friday rejected a project for the general elections in the country to be brought forward to October of this year.
The decision was made with 66 votes in favor, 44 against and six abstentions from the plenary session
In this way, Congress will debate again to seek a consensus that allows reaching the 87 votes necessary to accept the early elections that, if approved, must be voted on again in the next legislature, as it is a constitutional reform.
The intention is to call presidential and legislative elections in October and allow a new president to rule from the beginning of 2024.
The reconsideration occurs amid protests for almost two months by thousands of Peruvians calling for the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, as well as members of Parliament, so that they can be replaced in new elections. The demonstrations have so far left at least 58 dead and hundreds injured, according to the authorities.
Peru is immersed in a deep political crisis born after the dismissal by Congress of former President Pedro Castillo, who announced on December 7 the dissolution of the Andean Parliament and the establishment of an emergency government.
After the ex-president’s arrest, tens of thousands of people have come out to protest in various parts of the country to demand the resignation of President Boluarte, the dissolution of Congress and the urgent call for presidential elections in Peru.
87 votes needed
On Friday, Congress rejected the initiative to advance the elections. The president of Parliament, the conservative legislator José Williams, asked parliamentarians through Twitter to reflect responsibly on the decision to be made.
87 votes are needed to support the project and, until this Monday, it was not clear if they had the necessary votes, since there is a fragmentation into 13 parliamentary groups.
In the event that agreements are not reached, President Boluarte and the 130 legislators will have to continue in office until 2026 as established by law.
Boluarte said on Sunday that if the consensus to debate the advancement of elections does not prosper, the government will present two legislative initiatives, the first will request an advancement of elections for October and the second, that the next Congress instructs the Constitution Commission “to reform of the Constitution of Peru”.
Over the weekend, a Peruvian attending a protest died of a head injury, bringing the death toll in nearly two months to 58, all civilians except one, a policeman who died charred in the Andes.
forceful survey
The majority of Peruvians are in favor of an advance of the general elections in the country for this year, as well as the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, according to a survey by the private company CPI published on Monday.
The survey indicated that 70.9% of citizens consider that “the best thing” is for the elections to be brought forward for this year, as Boluarte and a sector of Congress have proposed in the midst of the social and political turmoil that began in December. .
According to the survey, another 19% of those interviewed support a proposal for the elections to be held in April 2024 and only 0.5% consider that the current authorities should govern until 2026.
The survey also indicated that 62.8% believe that Boluarte, who constitutionally succeeded Pedro Castillo on December 7, should resign from his position now, while 35.4% believe that he should remain until the new elections. .
The survey also indicated that Boluarte’s management is disapproved by 70.6% of citizens and approved by only 21.2%, while 8.2% did not specify their opinion.
Meanwhile, the work of Congress is rejected by 87.6%, with 96.6% in the central and southern highlands regions, while 66.7% also disapproved of the work of the National Prosecutor’s Office.
Faced with a possible early election, 27.9% assured that they would vote for a “central” candidate.