Lime-. A parliamentary motion aimed at vacating (removing) President Pedro Castillo failed today, being defeated by the Peruvian parliament by a vote of 73 out of 55 in favor of the measure.
The vote culminated in a grueling session of more than 12 hours, with speeches in which each congressman set out their position and moments of suspense captured in the heat of controversy.
The last board recorded 55 votes in favor of the vacancy and 73 votes against, a majority broken down into 54 votes against and 19 abstentions.
From the beginning of the speeches, the certainty of the vacancy opponents could be heard again and again that this measure does not guarantee a solution to the permanent crisis on the way to the age of six, for which it would by no means reach two thirds of the votes required for its approval.
The lack of votes was acknowledged by speakers from the vacant side, who, along with their attacks on Castillo, bemoaned the unfavorable outcome in advance.
After the result, the President sent a short message in which he greeted: “Reason, responsibility and democracy have triumphed.”
“I recognize the parliamentarians who voted against the vacancy and I respect the decision of those who did so. I urge everyone to shut down this page and work together on the country’s great challenges,” he added.
The President cleared doubts about his attendance at the crucial session by appearing and making a short speech in which he disqualified the 20 arguments of the vacancy notice, classifying them as unverified or investigated statements, discarding press quotes and allegations by Parliament itself in the first attempt to depose him.
After his speech, he left the Palace of Parliament and his lawyer José Félix Palomino, who denied in detail the allegations of corruption and others raised in the motion.
After the session, six ministers, who attended the session and did not intervene, hailed the outcome as a triumph of democracy and called for agreement and joint work between the executive and legislatures to address the country’s problems.
The spokesman for the parliamentary group of the governing party Peru Libre, Waldemar Cerrón, and the parliamentary group’s deputies loudly celebrated the failure of the vacancy and also called for an agreement.
The main supporter of the new vacancy – the first application failed in December – Jorge Montoya said that the bloc to which he belongs will investigate the motives behind the 19 abstentions. He stressed that votes for his position had increased, reflecting the perception that there would be another attempt to unwind Castillo.