Peru: President Vizcarra’s Cabinet Approve Decree To Elect New Congress

Peru’s Council of Ministers, made up of all the president’s cabinet, approved Wednesday an “Urgent  Decree” to guarantee legislative elections next year. 

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"The purpose of this Decree is to establish urgent and exceptional measures that allow the Electoral System bodies to guarantee the development of elections for a new Congress," Article 1 of the document reads. 

The Prime Minister and President of the Council Vicente Zeballos said at a press conference that with President Martin Vizcarra leading, the decree was adopted to set Jan. 26, 2020 as the date when new lawmakers will be elected. 

The decree also officiates Vizcarra’s executive order signed on Sept. 30 which dissolved Congress. 

The decision was made after he considered that the legislature didn't go through with the head of state's proposed vote of confidence, meant to keep lawmakers from appointing up to six out of seven justices in the Constitutional Court, a likely referee in any legal dispute between the government and Congress. 

However, after Vizcarra's decision was announced that same Congress approved the vote of confidence, leaving the country at a critical political standstill. Hours after the announcement, lawmakers who dubbed the decision as “soft coup” voted in favor to suspend Vizcarra for one year due to "moral incapacity," appointing his Vice President Mercedes Araoz as interim president.

Yet a day later Araoz resigned, while the top military brass pledged their full support to Vizcarra. 

On Oct. 4 Vizcarra based renewed all of his cabinet members based on article 133 of the Constitution, which gives him the power to choose the new representatives in case of dissolving Congress.