Boluarte will present a project to advance the elections in Peru, after Congress rejects the proposal to hold them in December

( Spanish) –– The president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, assured this Wednesday that she will present before Congress a bill to advance the elections, after the parliament did not approve a proposal that sought to hold the elections in December of this year.

Through the official Twitter account of the Presidency of Peru, Boluarte confirmed that he will urgently send the new measure to Congress.

“I regret that Congress has not reached a necessary consensus to advance the elections. As I announced in the last message to the Nation, we will immediately present the bill so that Peruvians can democratically elect their authorities in 2023,” the message detailed.

Hours before, the parliament rejected the constitutional reform project that tried to advance the elections. With 68 votes against, 54 in favor and 2 abstentions, the parliamentarians closed the door on the proposal of the president of the Constitution Commission and deputy for Fuerza Popular, Hernando Guerra García.

The measure would have established that the new president would assume office as of May 1, 2024 and end his mandate on July 28, 2026, which is when the government of former President Pedro Castillo should end.

Following this result, some political and legal analysts agree that the only way to solve the crisis is with the resignation of President Dina Boluarte. Omar Cairo, professor of constitutional law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, told that Boluarte’s resignation would force the president of Congress to call immediate presidential and parliamentary elections for a new 5-year term, according to article 115 of the Constitution. .

After the vote, Congress suspended the session and will resume it this Thursday morning, when other new proposals for a substitute text will be discussed. Among them, one presented by the congressman of Peru Libre, Jaime Quito, who proposes to hold the elections within four months but with the inclusion of a referendum.

This Tuesday, Congress postponed for the third time the debate on the bill to advance the elections. At that time, José Williams, president of the Congress, wrote on Twitter that the session had been rescheduled for Wednesday in order to find a consensus.

While Congress tries to find a political solution to the crisis that occurred after the departure of Pedro Castillo from the presidency, protesters continue in the streets demanding the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, the closure of Parliament, general elections and a new Constitution.

For its part, the Organization of American States (OAS) approved on Monday a statement in which he makes a “firm call” to the Peruvian authorities to hold elections soon, and that they be “fair, free and transparent, with international electoral observation.”

With information from Abel Alvarado, Claudia Rebaza and Hira Humayun.