BUENOS AIRES (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd December, 2022) The plenary session of the Peruvian Congress on Thursday approved a motion put forward by opposition lawmakers to start impeachment proceedings against incumbent President Pedro Castillo, with the vote taking place on December 7.
The Peruvian opposition lawmakers put forward the motion against Castillo due to his "moral incompetence" earlier this week. It will be the third formal attempt to oust the incumbent president.
"With 73 votes in favor, the plenary session of the congress has taken into consideration the motion to declare the permanent moral incapacity of President Pedro Castillo and remove him from office," the congress said in a statement.
The vote on the motion will take place next Wednesday, December 7, the congress added. Two-thirds of Peruvian lawmakers, or 87 people, must support the motion to remove Castillo from office.
On Thursday, the high-level mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) called on the executive and legislative branches of Peru to declare a truce and begin a dialogue.
"A call was made for progress toward development to resume and for a government and legislature for the people, with demands for a cessation of political strife in order to start governing for Peruvian society," the OAS said in a preliminary report following the mission's visit to the country.
The OAS recommended that a political be initiated "until a dialogue is established and convened and a minimum consensus is reached to ensure governability."
Following the OAS's report, Castillo also called on all the country's branches to engage in a dialogue.
"Following the spirit with which I led the country and which the OAS recommendations express, I call on the leaders of the institutions of power and political and social leaders to engage in a dialogue to guarantee the governance of the country," Castillo said on Twitter, adding: "Peru needs us all."
The congress has previously used the "moral incompetence" reason to impeach the previous Peruvian leader, Martin Vizcarra, suspected of bribery during his tenure as the governor of the Moquegua region from 2011-2014.
