On November 10, the President of the Peruvian State, Martín Vizcarra, resigned after the Congress declared him “permanently morally incapacitated”1. Instead, Manuel Merino de Lama2 took office, generating the largest protests of the last 20 years in a country3 fed up with the maneuvers of the political class4. After only 5 days in office, forced by social protests, Merino resigned5. Finally, the politician of the Purple Party, Franciso Sagasti6, assumed the Headquarters of the State. The prime minister will be a feminist, Violeta Bermúdez7.
Former President Vizcarra was removed from office as Head of State, by a large majority of Congress, for alleged corruption8. According to the Peruvian Constitution, his successor should be the vice president. But the feeble government did not have one. Consequently, the position had to be assumed by the president of Congress, Merino, who became Chief of the Executive and Legislative. This way the separation of powers was not guaranteed.
However, the dismissal did not seem, legally, a coup9, although it was highly questionable10 and was not endorsed by the Constitutional Court11. Nor did it have a coherent justification12 or popular support (Merino had barely received 5,000 votes from 33 million voters)13.
Thus, the largest protests in years, harshly repressed by the State, arose14,15. The centralized power of Merino was, however, ended after causing dozens of injuries, disappearances and two deaths at the hands of the Police16. The repression of this departmennt against protesters and the press was denounced internationally17,18.
On the 15th, Merino resigned. Congress elected Francisco Sagasti on the 17th (who had opposed the motion of censure), with broad popular support. At the moment he began by apologizing for the actions of the Police19, but it remains to be seen if the facts are investigated in depth20. The various social actors demand dialogue from the new Government21, but issues such as constitutional reform are, for the moment, ruled out by it22. As had happened in Chile or Bolivia, social protests, especially among the younger generations23, changed the course of an entire country. Once again, citizens have shown that the struggle guarantees rights. Never again let it be said that it is useless.
1 https://www.publico.es/internacional/mocion-censura-peru-congreso-peru-destituye-presidente-martin-vizcarra-corrupcion.html
2 https://www.gob.pe/institucion/presidencia/noticias/313532-manuel-merino-de-lama-jura-como-presidente-de-la-republica
3 https://navegarrioarriba.lamula.pe/2020/11/15/la-calle-por-ahi-pasan-la-esperanza-y-el-futuro/rodrigomontoyar/
4 https://navegarrioarriba.lamula.pe/2020/11/21/la-calle-2-despues-de-la-victoria/rodrigomontoyar/
5 https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/mundo/triunfo-enlutado-en-peru-para-la-generacion-del-bicentenario/10001-4394969
6 https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/mundo/peru-cierra-una-semana-de-crisis-con-la-asuncion-del-presidente-sagasti/10001-4397041
7 https://redaccion.lamula.pe/2020/11/18/conoce-a-los-integrantes-del-nuevo-gabinete-ministerial-liderado-por-violeta-bermudez/redaccionmulera/
8 https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/mundo/el-congreso-y-la-corrupcion-barren-al-presidente-peruano-martin-vizcarra/10001-4389824
9 https://elcomercio.pe/opinion/colaboradores/cuestion-confianza-martin-vizcarra-congreso-separacion-equilibrio-poderes-oscar-urviola-hani-noticia-ecpm-640309-noticia/
10 https://redaccion.lamula.pe/2020/11/10/vizcarra-sobre-gobierno-de-manuel-merino-la-legalidad-esta-en-tela-de-juicio/redaccionmulera/
11 https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/mundo/el-tribunal-constitucional-de-peru-evalua-dar-la-razon-a-vizcarra-contra-su-destitucion/10001-4395930
12 https://www.defensoria.gob.pe/pronunciamiento-de-la-defensoria-del-pueblo-sobre-la-vacancia-y-sucesion-presidencial/
13 https://larepublica.pe/politica/2020/11/10/fernando-tuesta-asi-lo-quiera-el-senor-merino-el-no-es-valentin-paniagua/
14 https://www.defensoria.gob.pe/balance-de-la-defensoria-del-pueblo-sobre-movilizaciones/
15 https://www.defensoria.gob.pe/sobre-derecho-a-la-movilizacion-publi/
16 https://www.defensoria.gob.pe/defensoria-del-pueblo-abuso-policial-deja-dos-muertos-y-decenas-de-heridos/
17 http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/prensa/comunicados/2020/275.asp
18 https://www.sipiapa.org/notas/1214282-la-sip-reitera-que-se-investiguen-las-agresiones-contra-periodistas-peru
19 https://redaccion.lamula.pe/2020/11/17/sagasti-pido-perdon-a-los-familiares-y-a-todos-lo-jovenes-que-marcharon-por-defender-la-democracia-w/redaccionmulera/
20 https://redaccion.lamula.pe/2020/11/20/sagasti-no-manchemos-a-toda-la-policia-por-el-efecto-de-la-actitud-de-algunos-elementos/redaccionmulera/
21 https://redaccion.lamula.pe/2020/11/20/organizaciones-sociales-piden-dialogo-y-pacto-social-para-salir-de-la-crisis-politica/redaccionmulera/
22 https://redaccion.lamula.pe/2020/11/20/sagasti-sobre-nueva-constitucion-no-nos-parece-una-prioridad-inmediata/redaccionmulera/
23 https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/mundo/triunfo-enlutado-en-peru-para-la-generacion-del-bicentenario/10001-4394969
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