A decisive act by the Peruvian Congress resulted in the dismissal of three impeachment motions against President Dina Boluarte last Friday. These motions, namely 11507, 11508 and 11512, were largely introduced by opposition legislators from leftist factions. Their goal? To declare Boluarte’s “permanent moral incapacity” to serve as president, an act authorized under Article 113.2 of the Peru Constitution.
Among the multitude of reasons put forward to support their claims, the opposition legislators accused President Boluarte of “abandoning the post” for 12 days between June and July 2023 to undergo cosmetic procedures. They also alleged that she played a role in a prosecutorial investigation against her brother, Nicanor Boluarte, and was responsible for the deactivation of a special unit of the National Police of Peru (PNP) that had been collaborating with the Special Team of Prosecutors against Corruption of Power (Eficcop), one single day before her brother’s preliminary detention.
These outspoken legislators went on to highlight additional Constitutional violations, like traveling abroad without vice presidents in place and investigations into purported illicit enrichment involving undeclared luxury watches and jewelry. The impeachment efforts also invoked Article 115 of the Constitution, which outlines presidential succession in the event of a vacancy.
However, despite the extensive list of allegations and invocation of the Constitution, the impeachment motions were rejected in the plenary session, which was broadcast live on the Peruvian Congress’s Facebook account. Parliamentary protocol required the support of at least 47 of the 117 active congress members, or at least 40%, for the impeachment process to be initiated. Instead, a simple majority vote saw to the ultimate archival of the impeachment motions.
For further details, refer to the full story at The Jurist.