Peru's Boluarte dodges impeachment bill vote over 'moral incapacity'
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The legislation was introduced by leftist lawmakers, however, only 37 votes out of 130 MPs were in favor of the motion.
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Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks as she meets with foreign press, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023 (Reuters)
A bill to instigate an impeachment process against Peru's President Dina Boluarte for "moral incapacity" has been denied by the country's Congress on Wednesday, media reported.
The legislation was introduced by leftist lawmakers, however, only 37 votes out of 130 MPs were in favor of the motion that requires 52 to move forward.
Peru has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily demonstrations since December 7, when then-president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree and his then-Vice President Boluarte took over.
Read more: Peru protests will continue: Interior Minister
Demonstrators are demanding the dissolution of Congress, a new constitution, and the resignation of Boluarte.
Since the start of the protests, over 50 people had been killed during clashes with the police. The opposition held Boluarte responsible for these deaths.
Several attempts to pass a bill through Peru's legislature to allow early elections have failed, the latest being in early February, which blocked any further debate on the topic until August.
On January 10, the prosecutor's office launched a probe against Boluarte over the extended force used by the police against demonstrators and "genocide, qualified homicide and serious injuries."
"There are reasons to remove Boluarte. She has installed a government of repression and death," said Jaime Quito, a leftist lawmaker of the Peru Libre party who voted in favor of the impeachment.
The right-wing party considers that this is not the time for such a move.
"Proposing impeachment at this time is not prudent," claimed Patricia Juarez, a right-wing legislator of the Popular Force party, the largest bloc in Congress.
Peru's president is also being investigated for money laundering and suspicious finances for her campaign during the 2021 elections that brought Castillo to power, but she denies the accusations.
