Peru's president faces 2nd impeachment attempt in 8 months

Peru’s embattled president has defended himself before Congress as he faces the possibility of joining the South American nation’s list of impeached leaders only eight months into his term

Pedro Castillo, Peru’s embattled president, defended himself before Congress on Monday as he faced the possibility of joining the South American nation’s list of impeached leaders only eight months into his term.

Castillo, a political neophyte who shook the country when he defeated the political elite to become president, characterized the accusations against him as speculation and argued that none can be substantiated. This is the second time that lawmakers have attempted to cut Castillo’s term short.

“We only found comments without any corroboration, speculation, imaginary links,” Castillo said of the accusations while reading a speech before lawmakers.

The lawmakers seeking to remove Castillo note he is the subject of three preliminary investigations into possible corruption, which under Peruvian law cannot proceed until he is out of office. There is also a separate accusation from a would-be collaborator who alleged he is part of a criminal group that receives money in exchange for public works.

The lawmakers accuse Castillo of “permanent moral incapacity,” a term incorporated into Peruvian constitutional laws that experts say lacks an objective definition and that Congress has used six times since 2017 to try to remove presidents.

Regardless of whether Castillo is impeached, the latest move against him will add to Peru's political turmoil and weaken the president, who won office with just 44,000 more votes than his opponent in a runoff election. He was an underdog when he entered the race last year and initially campaigned on promises to nationalize Peru’s crucial mining industry and rewrite the constitution

From the start, Castillo, a rural schoolteacher in a poor Andean district, has been handicapped by his Cabinet choices, a number of whom have been accused of wrongdoing. So has his former private secretary, whose corruption investigation led the prosecutor’s office to find $20,000 in a bathroom of the presidential palace.

“Recent developments have confirmed Peru’s dysfunctionality, regardless of who is in power,” said Claudia Navas, an analyst with the global firm Control Risks. “These events will certainty exacerbate Peruvian’s frustration towards the political system, which represents a risk because they will be willing to support an authoritarian leader as a desperate measure to overcome protracted political instability.”

The debate in Congress lasted several hours. The vote of at least 87 of the 130 congressmen are needed to remove the president, and it is unclear if that number will be reached.

Peru’s unicameral Congress is deeply fragmented among 10 political parties and rarely can come to any consensus on passing legislation. Castillo’s party is the biggest faction, but it has only 37 seats, and opposition members lead key committees.

The government invited three officials from the Organization of American States to witness the debate. Lawmakers allowed them to watch the debate from a nearby building.

Castillo succeeded Francisco Sagasti, who was appointed president by Congress in November 2020 as the country cycled through three heads of state in one week amid confrontations that left two people dead and more than 200 injured.

“Vacating presidents has become a sport,” said centrist lawmaker Wilmar Elera, who recalled that President Martín Vizcarra was dismissed by Congress in 2020 for permanent moral incapacity but has not faced any charges since.

Congress and Castillo are both unpopular in Peru, although the disapproval of legislators is greater. A survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies published in March by the newspaper La República, said Congress' disapproval rate was 79%, while 68% had negative views of Castillo.

The debate over Castillo’s future came just as the country awaited the release from prison of former President Alberto Fujijmori, who was ordered freed earlier this month in a controversial decision by Peru’s highest court. He was serving a 25-year sentence for his role in more than 20 murders during his administration between 1990 and 2000.

Peru has also been seeing demonstrations across the country in recent days to protest prices for food, fuel and fertilizer.

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Associated Press writer Franklin Briceño reported this story in Lima and AP writer Regina Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City.