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Peruvian President Castillo faces impeachment request for third time in 16 months

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More than 60 of the 130 members of the Peruvian Congress have requested the impeachment of President Pedro Castillo this Tuesday (29), alleging “moral incompetence” in office.

The “gap motion”, the third of Castillo’s 16-month term, was signed by 67 representatives from various opposition groups, supporting the proposal put forward by centrist parliamentarian Edward Málaga.

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“We propose the evacuation of the Presidency occupied by José Pedro Castillo Terrones because it suffers from permanent moral inadequacy,” the text of the resolution circulated by the local press and social networks says.

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“The president’s enduring moral incompetence is structured by serious technical faults that attack the dignity of the presidential figure,” he adds.

The signatories belong to the right-wing parties Popular Renewal, Advance Country, Popular Force and Popular Action and Alliance for Progress (center-right).

Submission of the application is the first step in starting a formal loophole process where another legal hurdle must be overcome before the application can be accepted for consideration.

In the event of acceptance, Congress should invite Castillo and his attorney to present their defense before the national representation within a period of up to ten days.

To impeach a president, it takes 87 votes, which the opposition does not have under Peru’s constitution.

This is the third move to sack Castillo. Last March, the previous one had only 55 votes. The initial motion, which dates back to December 2021, was never discussed in the plenary of Congress.

The new request came at a time of heightened tensions between the left-wing Executive and the right-wing Legislature.

Castillo denounced an “ongoing parliamentary coup” in October and sought the intervention of the Organization of American States (OAS), while Congress leader José Williams accused the president of wanting to dissolve Parliament.

An OAS delegation visited Lima a week ago and met with officials and dissidents to demand dialogue between the parties.

Pressure also increased after Congress began considering the Public Department’s complaint against Castillo, who was investigating suspected corruption and seeking his temporary dismissal.

Castillo, a 53-year-old rural teacher and teacher’s union leader, says he was the victim of a campaign to remove him from power.

29.11.2022 20:58

source: Noticias

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