Peru’s Prime Minister, Anibal Torres, has proposed this Thursday a motion of confidence to the Congress of the Republic in order to approve a bill that establishes a reform in the process of approval of constitutional reforms.
Torres’ proposal aims at certifying the «power of the people as a constituent power» when it comes to actively participate in issues «of major relevance» and thus prevent the political power from «placing itself above the sovereign power».
The head of Government has emphasized that his request involves the reform of an ordinary law, although he has remarked that in the case of a constitutional norm, it does not mean that it could not be repealed, according to RPP radio station.
The Peruvian Constitution provides that, in the event that the Congress of the Republic rejects a question of confidence, the ministerial team must be recomposed. If the chamber rejects a second question of confidence, Parliament may be dissolved and elections may be called.
At this point, some parliamentary benches have accused Torres of putting the opposition in the dilemma of approving his question of confidence or, on the contrary, to face a possible «closing of the Congress» leading to new elections.
«If the Executive had wanted to close the Congress (…) We would have presented two or more bills raising two or more questions of confidence regarding these», Torres has remarked, who has reminded the opposition that they have presented «interpellations and (motions of) censure in a successive and simultaneous manner».
Later, the president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, called on the Congress of the Republic in his social networks to approve the question of confidence in order to «reestablish citizen democracy».
«The participation of the people to promote reforms through the referendum cannot be curtailed or violated», said Castillo, who later, in a public act, showed his hope that the Parliament «will be on the side of the people».
