Disgraced Peru President Kuczynski Resigns After Vote-Buying Scandal

Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned Wednesday following the publication of videos showing his allies trying to buy the votes of other Congress members in order to avoid his impeachment.

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In his resignation address, Kuczynski said: "In the middle of this climate and the second vacancy process, many congressmen have said that their vote responds to their conscience and not to a slogan. The only solution is for me to resign the presidency."

The Peruvian leader's resignation comes a less than a day after the main opposition party revealed videos showing his allies allegedly trying to buy votes from other lawmakers in order to avoid an impeachment motion that was due Thursday.

Party spokespeople called on Kuczynski to resign Wednesday, saying that a vote on his impeachment due to take place on Thursday would move forward if the leader failed to step down.

The vote was proposed by the Popular Force opposition party, led by former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of the country’s former dictator Alberto Fujimori.

In December, Kuczynski narrowly survived an impeachment motion over Odebrecht-related corruption allegations. He was accused of dissuading some opposition lawmakers from voting in favor of his removal by promising to pardon Alberto Fujimori, which he did a few days after the vote.

Peruvian prosecutors asked a judge late on Wednesday to bar Kuczynski from leaving the country while they investigate payments his consulting firm received from Brazilian builder Odebrecht while he held senior government posts more than a decade ago.

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Kuczynski has denied wrongdoing but announced his resignation earlier on Wednesday after a fresh scandal over alleged vote-buying destroyed his chances of defeating a vote to force him from office.

Kuczynski  will have presidential immunity from prosecution until Congress formally accepts his resignation, likely on Friday, according to the president of Congress.