Left-wing congressmen in Peru present a motion to vacate President Boluarte for “moral incapacity”

( Spanish) –– A group of 26 Peruvian parliamentarians presented this Wednesday before Congress a vacancy motion against President Dina Boluarte for “permanent moral incapacity”, invoking Article 113 of the Political Constitution of Peru, according to the document shared with by Ruth Luque. , one of the signatory legislators.

The congressmen’s motion focuses on the handling of the protests against the Boluarte government in which, according to the Peruvian Ombudsman’s Office, at least 57 people have died.

The document, dated January 10 and signed by legislators from the parliamentary caucuses of Peru Libre, Peru Democrático and Cambio Democrático ––who were allies of former President Pedro Castillo–– bases the motion on the argument that the deaths of the protesters were allegedly “a consequence of the excessive and disproportionate abuse of weapons by members of the Armed Forces and the National Police of Peru, who unscrupulously chose to shoot at the population.”

“It is assumed that both Mrs. Boluarte, like none of the ministers in her cabinet, are willing to resign, despite the fact that our people continue to be literally and nefariously massacred. There is no other term that could be used”, says the text.

The document also states that the death of protesters during the Boluarte government “constitutes serious moral incapacity, based on the fact that morality is considered as the foundation of the norms, principles and values ​​established within a society.” In addition, it adds that the “crime committed against our fellow citizens is considered by our society as a serious moral incapacity that contravenes fundamental rights, injuring our political constitution.”

The Boluarte government has not publicly reacted to the vacancy motion. is seeking comment from the president’s press office.

In the past, both Boluarte and the Ministries of the Interior and Defense have defended the actions of the security forces. Days ago, the president apologized for the deaths of the protesters and stressed that she will not resign from her position. She has also said that the decision to deploy the military has been a difficult one to make and that neither the police nor the military have been sent to “kill.” Boluarte described the protests as “terrorism” when visiting an injured policeman in the hospital, to which the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights warned that this label could instigate “a climate of greater violence.” This Wednesday, when speaking remotely before the Council of the Organizations of American States (OAS), Boluarte said that the alleged abuses by the security forces will be investigated. “We hope that justice will take its course and establish responsibilities soon,” she said.

It should be remembered that in Peru, after the presentation of a vacancy motion, congressmen must vote in favor of admitting it for processing and, if this occurs, it goes to debate. Finally, to carry out the dismissal, it is necessary that two thirds of the parliamentarians, that is, 87 out of a total of 130, vote in favor of the initiative.

Social protests erupted in December 2022, after the removal of former President Castillo, and have continued ever since. The protesters demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, the closure of Congress, early general elections and a new Constitution.