10 December 2022

Peruvian politics - updated

I received this email December 7 from my cousin in Peru:
This morning I planned to tell you that the Peruvian Congress planned to impeach President Castillo, 
But before I could write you, President Castillo dissolved Congress, 
But before I could report that Castillo was taking action, his Cabinet ministers began to desert him, 
But before I could tell you that news, the Congress met and impeached Castillo,
Then Castillo, still defiant, called on the Armed Forces for support,
But the Armed Forces took a hard look at where they could conduct more graft,
And The Armed Forces told Castillo that he was on his own, 
And Castillo told his family to start packing,
But the family could not pack very quickly, because it was an awful lot of cash, 
And the police arrived at the Presidential Palace with an arrest warrant, 
And the family was still packing, because it was a lot of cash,
And the Legislature met to swear in the VP, Dina Balluarte, a real loose cannon, 
And she gave a speech in which she thanked the military and god, in that order, 
And Castillo was photographed leaving the Presidential Palace with a police escort,
And now life will go on.

Addendum December 10: 

"I was recently in Monobamba, Perú, a small town at 1,500 meters near San Ramón, the city where I usually stay. Our hostess told us about her visit to a rural area another 1,000 meters up. They met some women potato farmers who said that the glacier had completely melted, and they no longer had a water source. Furthermore, the rain was two weeks overdue, and they were concerned about their potato crop. There were some lagoons within an hour’s walk for drinking water, but the long-term looked bleak. 
This woman and her neighbors are only a sample of the potato farmers along the sierra at the same altitude. I don’t see a solution, and the national government has no idea what to do, so they do nothing. I take that back. The national government is busy embezzling money set aside for potato farmers at 2,500 meters in the sierra."

11 comments:

  1. So.... a quick, unusual, but peaceful transfer of power, nicely following the rules that had been established. Well done Peru!

    If only the US had been able to get its grifting president out the door that eaily.

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    1. Maybe I am confused, but didn't the former President leave office on January 20th, as called for in the Constitution? He was impeached twice and never sought to dissolve Congress. If impeachment were easy, it would probably used fairly regularly. I know many have already found him guilty of leading an insurrection in the court of public opinion, but following the rules that are established he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The same process applies to "grifters" as to any other citizen.

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    2. Maybe I am confused, but didn't the former President leave office on January 20th, as called for in the Constitution?

      Sure. Nothing unusual happened on 1/6.

      Even in Peru, dissolving the legislature to avoid impeachment is not "following the rules that had been established."

      Exaclty. President tried to break the rules, Legislature threw him out for trying to break the rules. I.e., the (attempted) rulebreaker was removed according to the rules before he could break the rules.

      Peru is certainly the model of political stability and peaceful transfer of power

      I didn't claim that.

      Former Peruvian president, Alberto Fujimori, is serving a 25-year sentence for murder, crimes against humanity, and corruption charges dating to his 1990-2000 rule.

      Excellent! Rules breaking president gets punished for breaking the rules! Peru enforces the law and treats its former presidents just like regular citizens who break the law. Just like France just did. And Ukraine. And many other countries.

      The US should try it. The odd thing is that you have experience throwing governors and mayors in jail for breaking the law. So why not do the same with presidents?

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  2. If only all news were covered with this kind of insight and honesty. Kudos to your cousin!

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    1. This is the way news is covered today. A conglomeration of facts, conjecture, and opinion, with some personal commentary thrown in. Huntley and Brinkley are cringing in their resting place.

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  3. Assuming that Castillo had the authority to dissolved Congress, then there was no Congress any more. Any action that 'Congress' took after dissolvement (like meeting and impeaching) would not be valid, maybe even treasonous? The ministers deserting - they can resign any time. Now that Congress was dissolved, and Castillo could call on the Armed Forces for support (meaning the Army HAD to follow his orders), and they did not, then also could be treason? End result? Castillo should still be president, because he was impeached by a Congress that no longer had power. There should be no Congress (it was dissolved). Castillo is stuck with a 'disobedient' Army, against which he has to take action. Maybe ask one of the neighboring countries / allies to help him out?

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    1. Thanks for the great explanation!

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  4. As compared the one in Germany?

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  5. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/14/peru-explainer-what-is-happening

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    1. From the article:

      "But the fundamental problems driving the unrest will not go away: an abysmal gap remains between the powerful capital Lima and much of the rest of the country which identified with Castillo and feels neglected by its institutions and, most of all, its hugely unpopular congress, which is largely viewed as a viper’s nest of corrupt lobbies and vested interests."

      An interesting parallel to the United States, with our blue dots in red states.

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  6. That was exactly what caught my eye as well. The great American wasteland decries education and equality and then complains that the "elites" have all the power and money.

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