Pressured by Peru’s President, Parliament Passes Anti-Corruption Reform Bill

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After the Covid-19 crisis has for a long time fully dominated Peru‘s politics, President Martín Vizcarra is now redirecting his attention to the main political project of his mandate: the reform of the country’s political system.

Last Sunday, under pressure from the head of state, the full Peruvian Congress decided by an overwhelming majority to lift the immunity of federal deputies and other key civil servants.

Among the political positions that will no longer be exempt from prosecution are judges of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts, Ministers, and even the President himself. Furthermore, as is the case under Brazil’s “Ficha Limpa” law, anyone with a serious criminal record – with sentences of over four years’ imprisonment – will no longer be allowed to run for political office.

On Friday, Congress had rejected a similar bill. Several right-wing parties, including the Fujimorist People’s Power (Fuerza Popular/FP) and the left-wing Nationalist Union for Peru (Union por el Perú), had opposed the lifting of immunity.

However, supporters of the reform accused them of power games, as these factions had several of their members accused of corruption.

But when Vizcarra announced a referendum on the constitutional amendment in a television address on Sunday, Parliament pre-empted him and decided on the reform in a slightly modified version. Only the FP voted against it.

“Neither the pandemic nor political tactics or the interests of a minority can limit the right of the people to adequate political representation,” the President stated. In reference to the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected Peru particularly hard, he added: “Corruption is a virus that has infected the state at all levels and we will continue to fight it.”

However, the President is far from satisfied by the reform announced in his televised address: he suspects that the law, as it has now been passed by Congress, was deliberately drafted unconstitutionally, with the goal that it would not stand up in the Constitutional Court and thus ultimately fail. Consequently, the immunity of deputies would be upheld. As a result, the announced referendum is not yet off the table, Vizcarra announced.

A referendum of this kind would be held at the same time as the presidential and congressional elections, scheduled for April 11th next year. The executive and legislative branches clashed over the timing of elections, as Parliament had originally planned to defer them until May due to safety concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, Vizcarra, who is not eligible for re-election under the Constitution, issued a presidential decree on Wednesday that finally sets the election date in April.

The President’s popularity and his self-proclaimed campaign against corruption remains high, albeit down from 87 percent at the start of the pandemic in March to 70 percent now, according to the Ipsos research institute.

Since taking office by means of a succession process in 2018, former Vice-President Vizcarra has been in permanent conflict with the legislature. As a result, he only had the parliament elected in January.