# Peru's democracy is in trouble **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 16, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perus-democracy-is-in-trouble/925667 "2020-11-16T05:26:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perus-democracy-is-in-trouble/925667/1 "2020-11-16T05:26:56Z")
Quick version of events: Last Tuesday, Peru’s Congress ousted the popular elected President, Martín Vizcarra, using a law from the 1800s to remove him for “permanent moral incapacity”; he was accused of “taking more than $630,000 in bribes in exchange for two construction contracts while governor of a small province years ago.” Congress quickly installed Manuel Merino as Interim President until elections could be held in April. This did not go over well with Peruvians. Six days of protests followed, culminating in the deaths of two protestors last night. Half Merino’s cabinet immediately resigned and it wasn’t long before Merino also stepped down, leaving the country without a President and with the aforementioned Congress seeking a solution. Vizcarra has called for Peru’s highest court to step in: > [@Martín Vizcarra](#): > > It can’t be that the institution that got us into this political crisis, that has for five days paralyzed Peru, with deaths, is going to give us a solution, choosing the person who they best see fit. Anyone got any more insight or information on this? Any ideas on how will all shake out in the end? I have no idea what the supposed endgame of the Congress was in ousting Vizcarra, even. > **[Peru's interim president resigns as chaos embroils nation](https://apnews.com/article/martin-vizcarra-peru-lima-coronavirus-pandemic-latin-america-e2820e2ad346e4aff87f824fec62f675)** > > LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s interim president resigned Sunday as the nation plunged into its worst constitutional crisis in two decades following massive protests unleashed when Congress ousted the nation’s popular leader. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perus-democracy-is-in-trouble/925667/2 "2020-11-16T05:54:12Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Anyone got any more insight or information on this? I heard a BBC story on this a few days ago, and it appears that the ousted president was combatting rampant corruption in the legislature, so the Congress turned around and ousted the President using trumped-up and unsubstantiated charges from years ago when he was Governor of Moquegua. From the AP story: > [@](#): > > Half of those in Congress are themselves under investigation for alleged crimes including money laundering and homicide. Polls show most wanted Vizcarra to carry out the rest of his presidential term, due to expire in July. Reportedly one of the most common reasons that people run for Congress in Peru is to avoid prosecution for crimes. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perus-democracy-is-in-trouble/925667/3 "2020-11-16T18:03:54Z")
The Brazilians have had a similar problem. When substantially nobody in public life has clean hands, who has standing to clean the stables? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perus-democracy-is-in-trouble/925667/4 "2020-11-16T20:30:16Z")
Congress has now chosen a new President but there is no word on when he will actually take office. > **[Peru's Congress selects centrist lawmaker to be new leader](https://apnews.com/article/peru-no-president-crisis-01994ca2555095e91f2db10e0af5d043)** > > LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s political crisis appeared on the verge of resolution Monday as Congress cleared the way for an elder statesman and consensus candidate to become the country’s third president in a week... ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perus-democracy-is-in-trouble/925667/5 "2020-11-17T20:26:37Z")
Nitpick: Vizcarra wasn’t elected, he inherited the post as VP. You can probably guess why the previous president is no longer in office, though he took the Nixon strategy. Vizcarra had stated he was not running in the next election but would be interim. So it seems kind of petty from the legislature. A factor seems to be that he was not part of the political party structure. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perus-democracy-is-in-trouble/925667/6 "2020-11-18T05:03:20Z")
Peru has it’s 3rd president in a week: > **[Peruvians get 3rd president in a week amid cautious hopes](https://apnews.com/article/latin-america-south-america-lima-peru-8dbb732f157236917c4929c234e122d8)** > > LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru swore in its third president in just over a week Tuesday in a televised ceremony that residents of the fraught South American country watched with both hope and skepticism after the worst constitutional crisis in two decades...