Francisco Sagasti Elected New Interim President of Peru

The Peruvian Congress on Monday elected Francisco Sagasti as the new leader of its Board of Directors, which at the same time makes him the new successor to the former president, Manuel Merino, at the head of the country's presidency.

RELATED:

Peruvian People Celebrate President Manuel Merino's Resignation

Along with Sagasti are Congresswoman for the Frente Amplio, Mirtha Vásquez, for Acción Popular, Luis Roel, and for Somos Perú, Matilde Fernández, in the first, second and third vice-presidencies, respectively.

This is the second vote to determine Merino's succession, once the proposal headed by Congresswoman Rocio Silva Santisteban did not achieve the necessary votes.

As such, Peru accumulates seven days of political crisis marked by widespread protests demanding Merino's removal. Two people were killed by police repression during the National March last November 14.

The Board of Congressional Spokespersons urged Merino to resign from the Presidency. Simultaneously, the Peruvian prosecutor's office opened an investigation into the alleged crimes of abuse of authority and aggravated homicide.

Francisco Sagasti was born in Lima (capital) and is an industrial engineer, researcher, and author of several texts. He is a congressman for the Morado Party, a former World Bank representative, and was not included in the list of Congress members who voted for the vacancy of former president Martín Vizcarra.