New crisis in Peru

The president of Peru, Martín Vizcarra in his appearance before the media last Monday.PERUVIAN PRESIDENCY / Reuters

The dismissal by the Congress of Peru of the president, Martín Vizcarra, investigated for receiving alleged irregular payments, represents another serious shake in the political landscape of the Andean country, in which all the heads of state since 1985 - with the exception of Valentín Paniagua, transitional constitutional president for eight months between 2000 and 2001— have ended up being investigated or prosecuted for crimes of corruption.

Vizcarra, who had been in office for two years and eight months and had to overcome a major institutional crisis in September 2019, was censured by the House by a large majority on Monday.

He has been accused of "permanent moral incapacity" after the opening of an investigation by the Prosecutor's Office on some 540,000 euros in bribes allegedly received in 2013 and 2014 when he was governor of the department of Moquegua, in the south of the country.

The former president has denied the charges.

This was not the first time that the head of state faced a similar accusation in Congress.

In September his dismissal was already voted (and rejected) for allegedly favorable treatment in the concession of public works to a friend, an accusation that Vizcarra also categorically rejected.

Now, the investigation of the Prosecutor's Office has a very different character, not only because of the seriousness of the events, but also because of its background.

It once again puts on the table the pending issue of Peruvian democracy, which is the fight against corruption in broad sectors of the political class.

Without going any further, several of the promoters of the impeachment are prosecuted, detained or under house arrest for crimes such as money laundering, illegal financing or bribery of judges.

All this provokes a climate of confusion among the citizens.

In fact, in October, 78% of Peruvians were in favor of Vizcarra remaining in office while the investigations continue.

And it rains on wet.

The fact that all presidents since 1985, except one provisional, have ended up in court damages the institutions and can cause the distrust of voters towards their politicians - justified by events that are repeated over and over again - is transferred to the same system .

That is the scenario in which the presidential elections of April 2021 can be disputed.

But it is no less important that Vizcarra's dismissal points again to what is probably the largest international corruption plot in South America - with ramifications in other continents - as is the

which has caused, for example, an institutional earthquake in Brazil. and uncovered some sewers in Mexico.

It is the demonstration that, like viruses, corruption also knows no borders and that if a democracy does not fight it constantly, it ends up causing profound damage.