11/09/2020 21:22
Clarín.com
World
Updated 11/09/2020 21:22
The head of the Peruvian Congress,
Manuel Merino
, who became president of the Andean country after the removal of Martín Vizcarra, is experiencing his most intense hours
after two decades of discreet political career.
Merino came to the fore in September when launching the first impeachment process against Vizcarra and strengthened his leadership by emerging victorious in those days from a motion of censure against him presented by a left wing,
which was rejected by 93 de de the 130 members of Congress.
The legislative head is first in the line of succession in Peru.
Merino is the first in the line of succession because parliament accepted on May 7 the resignation of Peruvian vice president Mercedes Aráoz, presented on October 1, 2019 in the midst of another political crisis.
Merino must complete his term, which ends on July 28, 2021.
His task looms gigantic: to continue managing the management of the coronavirus pandemic, which has devastated Peru's health and economy, and to carry out the general elections in April 2021.
Vizcarra also assumed power as almost a stranger, on March 23, 2018, after the resignation of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a former banker cornered by Congress due to allegations of corruption.
He was vice president of Peru and served as ambassador to Canada.
The impeachment of Vizcarra, which has a high popularity despite the accusations against him (57% according to the poll released this Tuesday by the firm Ipsos), took its toll on Merino, as disapproval of his management at the head of Congress rose to 72% in the context of this crisis, 21 points more than a month ago, according to Ipsos.
A 59-year-old agricultural and livestock engineer,
Merino was a second-line politician until March,
when he was elected president of Congress.
In the extraordinary legislative elections in January, he had won a seat
with only 5,271 votes
.
This election was called by Vizcarra after constitutionally dissolving Congress on September 30, 2019.
His election as head of parliament was promoted by the Popular Action bench,
the center-right party to which he has belonged for 41 years
and the first minority in the chamber.
He was chosen because he was one of the most experienced among the new legislators, the majority debutants in the major leagues of Peruvian politics.
No less important was the support it obtained from provincial legislators, a key factor among those who criticize the centralism of national politics.
Born on August 20, 1961 in the northern region of Tumbes, on the border with Ecuador,
Merino was a legislator between 2001 and 2006,
and then from 2011 to 2016, before returning to Congress last March.
"He is a typical provincial chief
, a discreet politician who has been elected representative of Tumbes three times," analyst José Carlos Requena told AFP.
"He is not a guy who stands out, affiliated with a single party all his life, he is perceived as a traditional, old-school politician," he adds.
Popular Action is the party
founded by twice Peruvian President Fernando Belaunde
(1963-1968 and 1980-1985).
Also belonging to this formation was Valentín Paniagua, the president who ruled for eight months between the end of 2000 and mid-2001, who served as head of Congress when the fall of Alberto Fujimori, who was dismissed for "moral incapacity" after sending his resignation from Tokyo .
The congressional cartography raises doubts about the soundness of a possible new government.
Four rival populist parties share control in a complex alliance.
But the opportunity to make history will hardly be presented to Merino again, married to a school teacher, Jacqueline Peña, with whom he has three daughters.
Source: AFP and EFE
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