Pedro Zavala Yesan
Lawyer and Fundación Alternativas’ contributor
Pedro Castillo, the now ex-president of Peru, had been committing a series of political and social errors that had resulted in the breakdown of the country’s constitutional order and led to his vacancy. But his departure was not unexpected; it had been felt for some time that his government would be short-lived, with strong opposition from Congress, which had been paving the way for his departure, and the political errors typical of a ruler inexperienced in the matter, to say the least.
With great speed, the different political actors spoke out against the former president’s actions, ministers of state rejected the act and resigned, the Constitutional Court and state institutions spoke in the same way, with the joint command of the Armed Forces and the national police bringing the cycle to a close. The belated reaction of Verónica Mendoza, who from the second round campaign and the beginning of the government appeared to support Castillo, but from the first months of the government until the vacancy disappeared from the political arena, is striking.
The Congress, according to the latest polls, enjoys record levels of public disapproval; however, the measure taken has been supported by the majority of the population, with only a few sectors still supporting the former president. This problem should make the Peruvian nation reflect on how we are getting involved and educating ourselves for political life, taking a passive position on what is happening to us, or rather, an active position on the proposals for change that should be made.
But have we solved our political problems after the presidential vacancy? Amidst cheers and photographs, Congress celebrated the victory over the now ex-president, recognising Vice-President Dina Boluarte as the country’s first female president. However, in the end, the vacancy of former president Castillo does not solve anything, but it does highlight at least two important issues.
On the one hand, we have the daily turnover of presidents in Peru, which implies an abuse of the constitutional figure of presidential vacancy both for the reason of ‘moral incapacity’ and for the dissolution of Congress, both of which further weaken the country’s fragile institutionality. We must now consider whether this recurrent action by the political class is due to the quality of the people who lead these institutions or to the semi-presidential model itself, with a strong parliamentary system that allows this type of anomaly.
On the other hand, this is also evidence of the deep political crisis we are in. We do not have a strong party system, we do not have professional politicians, we have deep-rooted corruption at all levels of government that constantly seeks power, with great inequality in social classes and with polarised political forces that do not generate cooperation but confrontation.
Vacancy or dissolution without thinking about profound reforms to the country’s political system will lead us to continue making the same mistakes and maintain the political instability in which we are immersed, slowing down the development that we long for in the country. The new president, Dina Boluarte, has a difficult task in this context, with an opposition parliament that will seek to remove her, social and political instability, and without a technical body to back her up. A political pact that seeks sincere dialogue establishing reforms to the system seems a necessary option in this context.
For the time being, President Boluarte has to evaluate whether to call for early general elections, or to end the mandate already initiated by Castillo. She has mentioned that her cabinet will seek consensus and dialogue, which will be difficult with the radical positions on the political scene. With the existing background there is a possibility of the new president’s vacancy and a relapse into the political chaos to which we are becoming accustomed.
It is also true that there is concern on the part of different sectors of society, who are calling for fundamental changes to the country’s political system, but many of them, whether business, academic or professional, do not have a place in the country’s political discussion. Let us hope that this crisis will allow us to broaden the discussion of Peru’s politics, opening new spaces for dialogue and creative solutions with the different actors involved.
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