translated from Spanish: Peruvians celebrate Manuel Merino resignation after six days of protests

The serious political crisis in Peru began to orient themselves towards this tragic outcome since last September, when Congress tried to dismiss Martín Vizcarra for the first time.
This is the chronology of the main facts in these days of political crisis:
– September 18: The Congress, chaired by Manuel Merino, debates a motion of vacancy (dismissal) against Martín Vizcarra for “moral incapacity” for irregularities in the hiring of singer Richard “Swing” Cisneros.
Vizcarra denounces that Merino conspired against him and tried to contact the Armed Forces before even initiating the political trial.
The motion does not receive the support of the plenary, but Vizcarra does not clarify or clear doubts about its relationship with Cisneros.
– 18 October: Peruvian media broadcast that aspiring effective collaborators (award-winning delators) accuse Vizcarra of receiving bribes when he was governor of the Moquegua region between 2011 and 2014.
– 22 October: Parliament approves a new request for dismissal against Biscay following these press complaints, which have not been corroborated despite seeming credible.
– 9 November: The Congress debates and approves the dismissal of Biscay for “moral incapacity” and then takes the oath of office to Manuel Merino, who is responsible for the succession according to the Political Constitution.
Nothing seemed to foresee this outcome, which surprises the government.
That same afternoon the protests begin on the streets of the country, in rejection of the vacancy of Biscay, which enjoyed popularity, and because of the obvious imbalance of powers, as Merino remains parliamentary and officially holder of the Legislative.
The Congress, whose junior interests to Vizcarra’s dismissal are not hidden behind the mantle of “fighting corruption” that it argues to justify the dismissal, is also the target of citizen anger.
– November 11: The veteran former minister and former entero Flores-Aráoz, very conservative, assumes as president of the Council of Ministers and declares that he does not understand why people are protesting on the streets and asks protesters to calm down.
– 12 November: Merino swears to her cabinet of ministers in full, including former ministers and former officials of the latest right-wing and far-right governments, and with links in large business sectors.
Several are linked to the Republican Confluence group, minority and radical.
That night, thousands of protesters march on the streets of Lima and the country’s major cities for the third day in a row, under the slogan #EstePresidenteNoMeRepresenta to call for Merino’s departure and the first ones injured by pellets, following police repression.
– November 14: A new day of mass citizen protest runs through the streets of the country, including young students and civil organizations.
The largest march is concentrated in the center of Lima with the intention of reaching the headquarters of the Congress.
That night, the police repress the protesters and over the hours two deceased students, a hundred injured and about 41 missing.
– November 15: During the early morning there is a continuous drip of resignations from state ministers in the wake of the violence released at the demonstration, and various political and social sectors demand Merino’s departure from office.
The President of the Congress, Luis Valdez, urges Merino to present his letter of resignation and convenes an extraordinary session of the plenary to decide the change of the board of directors and censor the then representative.
At noon, Merino announces his irrevocable resignation from office, in a message to the nation, in which he invokes the peace and quiet of all Peruvians, ending a week of intense political tension in the country.
Parliament must resolve in plenary the plenary session who will lead the new board of directors and which, in turn, will succeed Merino in the presidency of the Republic. While the Peruvians celebrate Merino’s resignation.

Original source in Spanish

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