Peru: Ministers Council President to Attend Congress

On Thursday, Anibal Torres Vasquez, the president of the Council of Ministers, must attend the Peruvian Congress to explain his call for social mobilization against a possible coup d'état.

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Previously, through a decision adopted with 73 votes in favor and 38 votes against, the lawmakers summoned him to explain statements they interpreted as incitements to violence.

On Sunday, amid confrontations between President Pedro Castillo's administration and right-wing lawmakers, Torres Vasquez called on the population to demonstrate in the streets, although he clarified that citizen actions must respect public and private property.

After the judicial raid on the Presidential Palace that took place on Aug. 10, Castillo denounced a conspiracy against him carried out by Congress and the Prosecutor's Office, institutions that would be seeking to remove him.

President Pedro Castillo's tweet reads, "My appreciation for the work of social, union, and popular organizations, as well as for merchants, motorcycle taxi drivers, teachers, nurses, and leaders, with whom I shared many social struggles, too. Count on me. You are the true spokespersons of the People."

In the days following the raid, which was intended to arrest Yenifer Paredes, the president's sister-in-law, social organizations held demonstrations and issued statements in support of Castillo. Among those supports were the pronouncements made by the "Farmers' Rounds."

The parliamentary session in which Torres Vasquez must clarify his statements is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. local time. In that session, the Peruvian lawmakers also have scheduled the installation of several commissions.

They will also debate a motion to interpellate Transporter Minister Geiner Alvarado, who is being accused of irregularities in the allocation of contracts when he was Housing Minister.