Peru’s Prime Minister, Anibal Torres, has presented his resignation to Peruvian President Pedro Castillo after Congress refused to modify the law limiting referendum calls in the country, as reported by RPP radio station.
Torres has opted for his resignation after the Parliament has denied the motion of confidence he presented last week and with which he intended to repeal law 31399, a rule that since the beginning of 2022 hinders the calling of a popular vote.
Said measure, enacted by the opposition in Congress, took away the power of the National Jury of Elections (JNE) to submit to referendum transcendental matters for the citizens of Peru, forcing the body to have the voting proposal previously evaluated and approved in Congress.
The head of government had hoped to return to the JNE the authority to call a referendum without going through the approval of the Parliament, something that the Congressional board has flatly rejected this Thursday.
«The Board of Directors has agreed by majority to reject outright the question of confidence raised by the President of the Council of Ministers for being prohibited ways to raise a question of confidence, as established by the Constitutional Court,» said the President of Congress, Jose Williams in statements reported by RPP.
The head of the Peruvian Parliament justified the decision by assuring that the proposal made by the country’s Prime Minister, Aníbal Torres, exceeds the constitutional and legal framework because it bypasses the Congress, which would represent «a serious alteration» to the State and the separation of powers.
For this same proposal of the Government, the opposition has filed a constitutional complaint against President Pedro Castillo, the Prime Minister and the ministers of the entire Executive, alleging that they would have violated several articles of the Constitution.
