Controversial opposition project without enough majority in Peru

The bill, as it contained several constitutional reforms, required a vote of two-thirds of the 130 (87) members of Congress, of whom 71 voted in favor of the text, while 45 opposed it and six abstained.

If the eligible majority required for constitutional reforms is reached, the text just needs to be approved again in a new legislature, to begin soon.

Promoters of the project hastened the discussion, which only took a few days, to obtain immediate approval, but encountered resistance and had to make a series of modifications in order to gain consensus, which they did not achieve.

The main argument of the left and center seats against the project was the fact that the re-establishment of the two-chamber system abolished in the 1993 constitution, and the re-election of parliamentarians, were rejected in a referendum on constitutional reforms, in December 2018.

In the consultation, 85.86 percent of voters voted for the reform banning parliamentary re-election and 90.59 percent against a return to the two-chamber system.

Faced with such precedent, proponents of the opposite have argued that too much time has passed since the referendum and that these results are outdated.

Left congressman Guillermo Bermejo considered it ironic that the opposition, which refused to discuss a progressive bill for a referendum to call a Constituent Assembly, proposed more than 50 constitutional changes based on their interests and without consulting the population.

Another strong argument from politicians and analysts against the project promoted by Parliament Speaker, Maricarmen Alva, and far-right lawmaker Patricia Juarez, is the unpopularity of Congress, with opinion polls showing as many as 82 percent disapproval.

After the day’s result, the majority of the opposition celebrated it as a victory and Alpha announced that the project would have to seek endorsement in a referendum to be processed.

m/mrs