Peru's Legislators Propose Reducing Term Of President Castillo

On Thursday, eight Free Peru (PL) legislators and opposition lawmaker Digna Calle presented two bills proposing to reduce the Congress and President Pedro Castillo’s term to two years and convene for elections to choose their successors in 2023.

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Calle and the PL legislators justified the mandate reduction arguing that Castillo is going through a "legitimacy crisis", given that he has had to appoint four cabinets so far and has faced two impeachment attempts due to pressures from the Peruvian right.

“The reduction of the presidential and legislative mandate constitutes a constitutional solution to the current crisis,” Calle alleged, stressing this initiative will "strengthen" the Peruvian political and democratic system.

Over the week, other Congress members rejected a bill issued by Castillo to call for a referendum in October to replace the constitution approved under Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship (1990-2000).

The Castillo bill stressed that a Constituent Assembly should be immediatly installed if the population votes in favor of the consultation.

The composition of this assembly must be 40 percent of members of registered political organizations, 30 percent of independent candidates, 26 percent of Indigenous leaders, and 4 percent of representatives of Afro-Peruvian peoples.

"President Castillo forgets that there are other priorities for our the country, such as private investment promotion to fight the economic crisis," stressed the Congress President Maria del Carmen Alva, a far-right politician who forcibly opposes Castillo.