Congress of Peru approves eliminating vote of confidence for the appointment of the cabinet of ministers

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(CNN Spanish) ––

The plenary session of the Peruvian Congress approved on Monday a proposal for a constitutional reform to eliminate the vote of confidence that the Magna Carta stipulates that every president of the incoming Council of Ministers must request.

The proposal was approved with 75 votes in favor, 46 against and no abstentions.

Not having reached a qualified majority of two-thirds, that is, 87 votes, in a first vote, it must be submitted to a referendum.

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According to the Constitution of Peru approved in 1993 —in its article 130, which is the subject of this constitutional reform— any chief of staff or president of the Council of Ministers appointed by the President of the Republic must attend Congress within 30 days after to his appointment to expose the general policy of the Government and request the vote of confidence of the parliament.

This process is also known as "investment vote."

If this is denied, a "total cabinet crisis" ensues and all ministers must resign.

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Article 134 of the Constitution – which is not subject to this reform – stipulates that if two cabinets are denied confidence, the president is empowered to dissolve parliament.

The president of the Constitution and Regulation Commission, Hernando Guerra García, said that "confidence has subjected the country to a lot of tension," according to a statement from the Peruvian Congress News Center.

Congress of Peru