Peru: Vizcarra Appeals Vacancy Motion To Constitutional Court

Peru's President Martín Vizcarra accused members of his staff of "treason" on Monday and said that the Armed Forces were conspiring with the president of Congress to overthrow him. This, as he appealed the vacancy motion against him.

RELATED:

Peruvian Congress Approves Motion to Dismiss President Vizcarra

"It is a conspiracy, I trust that the democratic forces will not allow it," Vizcarra said during an address to the nation from the government's palace. "I reject the fact that there are people who want chaos and instability to attend to mere personal interests in the midst of one of the worst health crises in history," the president added.

On September 11 the Congress approved a vacancy motion that forces Vizcarra to be held to account by the Parliament's plenary session.

The vacancy motion explains that the president is accused of using "the state apparatus to evade the inquiry of an investigative commission of the Congress of the Republic, under legal excuses that openly violate a court ruling."

On the other hand, the president argued that some of the lawmakers that exposed the audio files had been accused of bribery. This is the case of Edgar Alarcón, who has a constitutional complaint filed by the Prosecutor's Office before Congress for the crime of fraudulent embezzlement, passive bribery, and illicit enrichment, Vizcarra recalled.

The president also denounced conversations between Congress president Manuel Merino and the military since he accused them of "conspiracy". "Why has the president of Congress tried (through congressmen) and communicated with high-ranking military commanders and, even, planning pseudo cabinets of who would assume after my vacancy?" Vizcarra stressed.

As information of these encounters emerged, Vizcarra's government issued today a competency claim and precautionary measure before the Constitutional Court (TC) against the motion of presidential vacancy admitted by a sector of Congress last Friday.

The appeals had been expected since the scandal broke up last week when Vizcarra said that he would not resign, and constitutional lawyers spoke about the appeals as a legal mechanism to cling to power.

Peru's president also accused and fired his secretary Karem Roca today as he argued that the audios where she can be heard contain "delirious, baseless lies," such as the statement that the Navy has subjected some congressmen to espionage or that it maintains daily coordination with opposition legislator Daniel Urresti.

Nevertheless, since the audios have been examined, local media outlets report that the evidence demonstrates that the president had an even closer relationship with the singer Richard "Swing" Cisneros. The Ministry of Culture granted the local singer illegal contracts, although he was not qualified to perform those works according to the claims against the President.