Peru's Congress approves impeachment trial against president

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Peru's Congress approved the motion to start impeachment proceedings against President Pedro Castillo on the grounds of permanent moral incapacity, the second attempt so far since he came to power in July 2021.

The motion was approved by 76 votes and 41 voted against. Fifty votes were required to continue with the proceedings.

Castillo is facing charges of corruption due to irregularities in the bidding process for a contract to build a bridge.

Opposition lawmakers are promoting the vote, and now Castillo must present his defense on March 28. After that, at least 87 lawmakers must vote on the motion to oust the head of state.

Castillo took office in 2021, after beating right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori by only 44,000 votes, but he has seen his popularity crash amid corruption allegations. The president's disapproval rate fell to 66%, but even more discredited is the Peruvian congress, which has a 70% disapproval rating, according to an Ipsos poll.

With less than a year in office, Castillo could be the third president to be impeached in three years. Former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned during his impeachment process in 2018 and Martin Vizcarra was removed by Congress in 2020. His departure led Peru to have three presidents in five days.

Castillo survived the first impeachment attempt in December after it did not achieve the votes to be approved, and experts say that opposition parties will not be able to get the votes to impeach him this time either.

Impeachment proceedings have been used relatively frequently in Peru, which has had five presidents since 2016.​​​​​​​