Peru Senate Clash Interrupts 90-Day Powers Hearing
POLITICS · PERU
Key Facts
- —The country Peru, a US free-trade partner and major copper and gold exporter, led by conservative President Keiko Fujimori.
- —Why it matters Peru decree powers on crime and El Niño would let the government change security laws for 90 days without new votes in Congress.
- —Why now A Senate committee hearing on the request broke down on Saturday 10 October after a senator and the interior minister clashed.
- —What happened President Keiko Fujimori backed the minister the same afternoon and told Congress: “We have to know which side you are on.”
- —The numbers Deputies approved 90 days of powers on 6 October by 66 votes to 34, with 24 abstentions.
- —What it means for you Tougher security rules may come faster, but a long fight with Congress could slow them. Investors should watch Wednesday’s session.
- —Still open Whether senators restore measures the deputies dropped, and whether the full Senate votes on Monday 19 October as the committee chair expects.
The fight over Peru decree powers turned personal on Saturday 10 October, when a Senate hearing in Lima was halted after a shouting match. A left-wing senator and Interior Minister César Astudillo had to be separated by colleagues. Hours later, President Keiko Fujimori told Congress it must decide “which side” it is on in the fight against crime.
The stakes reach beyond Lima. Peru is a US free-trade partner and a top supplier of copper and gold. How fast it can act against extortion gangs shapes risk for foreign firms, travellers and investors.
The Senate’s Constitution Committee will resume the debate on Wednesday 14 October at 10 a.m., the Congress news service said.
What Happened in the Senate Committee
The committee was reviewing bill 00013-2026-2031-S, which would let the executive legislate by decree on citizen security and El Niño. El Niño is a periodic warming of the Pacific that can bring floods to Peru’s coast.
Four ministers came to defend it. Astudillo spoke on police training reform and a nationwide command against crime and drug trafficking, the Congress news service said.
Justice Minister Ernesto Álvarez sought stronger prisons and intelligence tools, plus changes to self-defence rules. He also wants to adjust the crime of terrorism for profit.
Defence Minister Rafael Belaunde Llosa asked to widen the legal term “hostile groups” to criminal organisations that control territory. That label shapes how far the armed forces may act against them.
Housing Minister Mauricio Arnillas asked for powers to speed up water, sanitation and social housing works. He also wants to restructure Sedapal, Lima’s state water company, without privatising it.
How the Clash Unfolded
Trouble began at 11:27 a.m., El Comercio reported. Senator Ruth Luque of the opposition Ahora Nación party said Astudillo’s plan was vague. She suggested he seemed afraid to push a real police reform.
Astudillo answered the criticism from his seat, El Comercio reported. Senator Iber Maraví of the left-wing Juntos por el Perú then challenged the minister, saying he had interrupted Luque. Maraví was the first labour minister under former president Pedro Castillo.
Committee chair Carlos Mesía, a senator for Fujimori’s conservative Fuerza Popular, suspended the session. During the break, Astudillo stood a few centimetres from Maraví before other senators stepped between them, El Comercio reported.
Maraví told reporters that the minister had been “insolent” and that he had not answered provocations. He asked for the session recordings to be reviewed. When the hearing resumed after a short pause, one lawmaker asked colleagues and ministers to shake hands as a sign of peace, Infobae reported.
Fujimori’s Message to Congress
Fujimori, leader of Fuerza Popular, spoke that afternoon at the Army General Headquarters in San Borja, Lima. She was presenting the first actions of a new joint army and police command.
She said she had seen “the regrettable events” in the Senate. “It is a moment for definitions. And we have to know which side you are on,” she said, Gestión reported.
She gave Astudillo “total backing” and noted he served in Chavín de Huántar, the 1997 commando rescue of hostages in Lima. “The dogs bark, that is a sign we are advancing,” she said. She called the crime offensive “irreversible”, the state newspaper El Peruano said.
Congress president Miguel Torres, also of Fuerza Popular, wrote on X that no senator may insult an invited official. He called the incident “unacceptable”.
Background on the request is in Peru Senate Summons 7 Ministers Over Crime Powers Bid and Peru Deputies Back 90-Day Decree Powers for Fujimori. The command’s first results are in Peru Unified Command Reports 2 Killed in First 3 Days.
What It Means for You
For US investors, the main question is speed. Decree powers would let Lima rewrite security and El Niño rules within 90 days. A drawn-out fight with Congress would delay that.
The stabiliser is that the Chamber of Deputies has already passed the request, 66 to 34, on Tuesday 6 October. The Senate is now debating details, not whether to act at all.
The risk lies in the scope. Wider military roles and new self-defence rules could draw legal challenges and rights concerns. Firms with sites in mining regions or northern cities should follow Wednesday’s session.
For travellers, nothing changes yet. Expect more police and army patrols in Lima and other cities as the new command expands.
What Is Not Known
Committee chair Mesía expects the bill to reach the full Senate on Monday 19 October, El Comercio reported, but no floor vote has been formally scheduled. It is not known whether senators will restore measures the deputies left out. Housing Minister Arnillas said deputies approved only six of his 12 requested housing measures.
It is also unclear whether the Senate Ethics Committee will act. Renovación Popular senators, from another conservative party, have called for Maraví to face it. No formal complaint could be confirmed by Sunday morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Peru decree powers?
They are delegated powers that let Peru’s executive issue laws by decree for a set time. Deputies approved 90 days on citizen security and El Niño, and the Senate is now reviewing the bill.
What happened in Peru’s Senate on 10 October?
A Constitution Committee hearing on the powers was suspended after Senator Iber Maraví and Interior Minister César Astudillo clashed. The session later resumed.
When will the Senate decide?
The Senate Constitution Committee resumes its debate on Wednesday 14 October at 10 a.m. Its chair expects the bill to reach the full Senate on Monday 19 October, but no floor vote has been formally scheduled.
Sources: Congress of Peru, Senate committee; Congress of Peru, Deputies vote; El Peruano; Gestión; El Comercio; El Comercio, Torres; Correo; Infobae; El Comercio, Mesía timetable.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief