Peru's lawmakers have voted overwhelmingly to launch impeachment proceedings against President Pedro Kuczynski. The president is under fire for allegedly taking bribes from Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.
Image: Reuters/C. Platiau
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Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski once again faces being ousted from office, after lawmakers voted by a wide margin on Thursday to begin impeachment proceedings against him.
In December, the motion was brought forward by the opposition-controlled Congress, after an investigation revealed Odebrecht had made $782,000 (€635,000) in payments to Kuczynski's private consulting firm at a time when he was serving as Peru's economy minister.
How Peru's political crisis unfolded
Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kyzcynski has managed to narrowly survive impeachment proceedings, pardon a jailed dictator and dismiss significant allegations of corruption. But anger is growing on Peru's streets.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Mejia
A political crisis unfolds
Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has survived the beginnings of an impeachment process, significant allegations of corruption and the backlash of pardoning a jailed dictator. But with protests growing against his government, can former investment banker fulfill his presidential mandate? DW examines the situation.
Image: Martin Mejia/AP Photo/picture alliance
Corrupt beginnings
In December, Odebrecht told Peru's parliament that it made payments amounting to $4.8 million (€4.07 million) to a company controlled by Kuczynski while he was a minister in a previous government. Despite first denying any ties with the Brazilian construction company, he later admitted that he worked on an advisory basis for the firm, a move that did not sit well with many Peruvians.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/S. Mor
Struggle for survival
After the revelations emerged, parliament took little time to debate whether to impeach him. Days after Odebrecht's testimony, the legislature initiated a debate on impeachment with enough support to push formal proceedings through a vote. However, when lawmakers finally voted on whether to move forward, they failed to garner enough votes for impeachment, with some saying a deal had been made.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Mejia
Fujimori's ghost
On Christmas Eve, Kuczynski pardoned former President Alberto Fujimori who was serving a 25-year jail sentence for atrocities committed during his tenure. Kuczynski cited Fujimori's waning health, but others said it may have part of a deal to survive impeachment. Civil conflict between 1980 and 2000 involving leftist militants killed an estimated 70,000 people in the Andean country.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'No to pardon'
The pardon infuriated thousands of Peruvians, prompting protests on Christmas Day and the day after. Protesters held placards lamenting Fujimori's presidency while others displayed photographs of Peruvians disappeared during his tenure from 1990 to 2000. Rights groups said a request had been made to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to examine a challenge to the legality of the pardon.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Mejia
Supporters gather
Fujimori's supporters also rallied for his pardon. Despite having served time in prison, Fujimori continues to maintain a level of popularity in Peru for defeating the Maoist insurgent group Shining Path and stabilizing the economy. His supporters have gathered outside his hospital in Lima, where doctors described his health as "delicate," saying he's unlikely to leave intensive care soon.
Image: Getty Images/NurPhoto
Jumping ship
While protests have dented Kuczynski's presidency, the resignations of senior officials has made things worse. Culture Minister Salvador Der Solar, a former filmmaker, stepped down within days of the protests. Others to jump ship included former Interior Minister Carlos Basombrio, a presidential advisor and the head of the Justice Ministry's office of human rights.
Image: Imago/Agencia EFE
Uncertain future
While Kuczynski managed to narrowly survive an impeachment process in what observers have speculated was part of a deal to pardon Fujimori, it is unclear whether he'll be able to do so in the future. However, what is certain is that he faces an uphill battle with growing anger on the streets of Peru that threatens to topple his government.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/R. Abd
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Kuczynski, a former Wall Street investor, insisted that the money was a payment for his legitimate consulting fees and has denied any wrongdoing. However, Odebrecht, under investigation in Brazil, has admitted to spending billions in government bribes across Latin America to secure public works contracts.
Kuczynski political quid-pro-quo
Kuczynski narrowly survived the impeachment vote after a small faction of opposition lawmakers abstained, including the son of then-jailed former President Alberto Fujimori. Just days later, Kuczynski pardoned Fujimori from a 25-year jail sentence for human rights abuses committed during his decade-long rule.
Fujimori's pardon was widely seen as a quid-pro-quo arrangement with Kuczynski and sparked several street protests.
It remains unclear whether he can pull off a similar deal this time, however.
The motion requires a two-thirds majority inside the 130-seat Congress to pass.
The threat of the president's impeachment has triggered a deal of uncertainty in Peru. Next month, the country is set to host the Summit of the Americas, bringing together leaders from the Western Hemisphere, including US President Donald Trump.
