President Martín Vizcarra of Peru ordered
Congress to dissolve on Monday night Sep 30,2019, prompting lawmakers to try to
suspend him and plunging the nation into uncertainty after a grinding,
yearslong corruption crisis.
Opposition
lawmakers responded to the president’s decision by accusing Mr.
Vizcarra of staging “a coup” and moved swiftly to suspend him for 12
months. They nominated his vice president, Mercedes Aráoz, as the new
acting head of state.
“I accept this
with fortitude,” Ms. Aráoz said before Congress of a provisional
presidency. “It is one of the most difficult decisions I have made in my
life.”
Under Peruvian law, new parliamentary
elections would be held within four months once the Congress dissolves.
It was unclear, however, whether the lawmakers would comply with Mr.
Vizcarra’s order and what actions the president was prepared to take to
put the dissolution into effect.
Opposition
lawmakers continued to occupy the Congress for hours after Mr.
Vizcarra’s order. Some said they would resist any attempt to physically
remove them, and threatened to depose the president for violating the
Constitution.
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