On Monday, in a move that surprised many observers, the opposition-controlled Peruvian Congress overwhelming voted to impeach embattled president Martin Vizcarra on corruption charges. The head of the Congress, Manuel Merino, was sworn in as interim president the following day amid mounting concern about Peru’s governability just months before the scheduled elections. A new president is expected to take over in July 2021. With Peru in recession – in 2020, its economy is projected to shrink more than any other Latin American country besides Venezuela – and particularly hard hit by Covid-19, the country’s political chaos risks plunging Peru into a deepening crisis. Vizcarra, who came into office vowing to combat corruption and believes the Merino government lacks legitimacy, joins a list of previous Peruvian presidents disgraced by corruption allegations.
The ongoing crisis in Peru raises a number of key questions we plan to discuss with three experts.
- What are the politics behind the abrupt move to impeach Vizcarra?
- What can we expect from the interim presidency and the Congress in dealing with the pandemic and the economy in coming months?
- What are the chances that the April 2021 election will be postponed?
- What are the economic implications of Peru’s current political disorder and uncertainty?
- How are markets and investors viewing the evolving situation?
To discuss these and other questions, the Inter-American Dialogue is pleased present the online event “What Next for a Troubled Peru?”
Follow this event on Twitter at #WhatNextForPeru and @The_Dialogue.
We invite participants to submit questions using the Q&A function in Zoom, the event hashtag on Twitter OR to email questions to meetings@thedialogue.org.
Watch the event here:
Speakers
GINO COSTA
Member of the Congress of the Republic of Peru, Partido Morado (@CostaGino)
CYNTHIA McCLINTOCK
Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University
LUIS OGANES
Global Head of Emerging Markets Research, J.P. Morgan
Moderator
MICHAEL SHIFTER
President, Inter-American Dialogue (@MichaelShifter)
