Peruvian Congress Approves Motion to Dismiss President Vizcarra

Peru's Congress has officially accepted the motion to request the removal of President Vizcarra of the presidency due to "moral incapacity" for being presumably involved with a corruption scandal.

"The lawmakers of the Republic who subscribe...propose the following motion for today's docket through which we formulate our request to remove Mr. Martin Alberto Vizcarra Cornejo of his duties as President of the Republic due to his permanent moral incapacity," the document detailing the legislative initiative indicates.

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The request for Vizcarra's removal will be debated in a virtual session Friday and was voted favorably by 95 lawmakers of the 130 that constitute the Peruvian parliament.

Martin Vizcarra is accused of having been presumably involved in illegal contracts that Richard Cisneros, a local singer popularly known as Richard Swing, had been granted to perform work with the Ministry of Culture.

To be approved, the motion for removal or vacancy must receive the vote of at least 87 legislators (more than two-thirds of Congress) for the removal to take effect and for the president of Congress, Manuel Merino, to assume the top post in the Andean country.

Hours before Congress received the request, Vizcarra addressed the nation with a message denying the facts and denouncing the plot of a group of legislators interesting in taking and remaining in power. 

Vizcarra declared that he would not resign and insisted that all proper investigations be carried out, given that "there is nothing illegal" in the conversation which he recognizes took place but claims the recording of which itself was an illegal act.

The Peruvian head of state claimed this act was an attack carried out by the opposition. "All of this is a hoax which seeks to destabilize democracy, take control of the government, and allow the re-election of certain legislators," Vizcarra assured.