On November 9th, Peru’s Congress voted 105 to 19 to impeach President Martín Vizcarra. When Vizcarra was a governor, he supposedly took bribes from companies which then won contracts for public works. The now former President then resigned, and while he claims the basis for impeachment was untrue, he’s decided not to challenge it. However, citizens of Peru are overwhelmingly unhappy with the decision. The President had many of his citizens support, and they now believe this impeachment to be a coup d’etat by legislators. These citizens have taken to the streets outside of Congress to protest, clashing with police there. Less than 1% of the population supports the newly appointed president, Manuel Merino, who is expected to be replaced within the next week. This political turmoil leaves the country with a distrust of their government, which could be disastrous with presidential and parliamentary elections upcoming in April.
The current situation in Peru could be detrimental to the future of the country. Conspiracies are forming and being spread through social media, alluding to a plot by Congress to overthrow the President in order to pursue their own personal interests. Whether this is true, or if Vizcarra was actually corrupt, don’t matter as the citizens of Peru are unhappy and will continue to revolt either way. With violence breaking out in the streets, and police abusing protestors, this situation has the potential to escalate into conflict on a larger scale if the political turmoil isn’t put to rest. Continued unrest on political lines could be the start to future war within the country, if Peruvians continue to demand change and the government doesn’t respond. However, as the citizens have already received support from many groups and other countries, this backing could have the potential to deescalate the situation if those with governmental power decide to cooperate and listen to those living in Peru.
This issue relates to what we’ve discussed in class through the involvement of NGOs and looking at the levels of analysis. The Humans Right Watch has expressed involvement by ordering the investigation of police abuse in Peru, as well finding the location of protesters who’ve “disappeared,” which demonstrates how this NGO falls under the categories of service and participatory based off of their actions. By looking at this conflict through the state level of analysis, it highlights the corruption of the Peruvian government, as they continue to impeach and overthrow presidents in order to gain power. Lastly, this is an international issue because of the threat to democracy, threat to human rights, and threat to the access of many key natural resources found in Peru.