PERU
Love, Hate and Bribery
Peruvian lawmakers voted to impeach President Martin Vizcarra this week, citing his poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic and allegations of corruption, NPR reported Tuesday.
Lawmakers have blamed the president for the severe shortage of therapeutic oxygen and the government’s strategy of tracking infections through antibody tests – which do not detect the disease in its early stages.
Peru has one of the highest deaths per capita in the world due to the virus: The country of 32 million is approaching one million confirmed cases and nearly 35,000 dead.
Vizcarra has also been accused of taking bribes from construction companies during his term as a regional governor nearly a decade ago.
The president has denied the allegations. Still, he said that he respected the decision of parliament and would not contest it. His supporters, meanwhile, rallied in the capital, Lima, to protest the parliamentary decision.
Vizcarra became president in 2018 following the resignation of then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski over allegations of corruption. He ran on an anti-corruption platform and remains far more popular than Peru’s legislature.
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