LIMA, Jan 27 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Peruvians have been voting to elect a new Congress after the previous one was dissolved by President Martín Vizcarra.
Vizcarra took the drastic step in September, arguing that lawmakers were obstructing his anti-corruption agenda.
Exit polls suggested the new Congress will be fragmented with the biggest party Popular Action, gaining less than 12% of the vote.
The exit polls also indicate Popular Force, which was the dominant party in the last Congress, gained only 7%.
Popular Front is led by Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of the disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori.
A judge is due to decide next week whether Keiko returns to preventative custody while she faces corruption charges. She denies any wrong-doing.
The new Congress will be short-lived – it will be replaced in next year’s general elections.
Under Peru’s electoral laws, parties need to achieve at least 5% of the popular vote or seven elected legislators to gain representation. The high number of undecided voters could result in a fragmented assembly.
President Vizcarra had made the fight against corruption his main priority when he took power in March 2018 after then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned over a vote-buying scandal. When parties, including the Popular Force, blocked his efforts, he dissolved Congress.
His tough anti-corruption stance endeared him to Peruvians tired of the endless scandals that have tainted not only Kuczynski but also the three previous Peruvian presidents.
Shortly before polls opened, Vizcarra said maximum effort should go into reaching consensus to achieve the best for the country.
Voting is mandatory in Peru, Latin America’s fifth-largest economy, and some 25 million people are eligible to vote. The new Congress will finish the current legislative term, which ends in July 2021.
Earlier this month, the constitutional court said President Vizcarra, a centrist politician, had not exceeded his powers when he dissolved the chamber.
Opposition lawmakers had denounced the dissolution of Congress as a coup but the heads of the armed forces and the police backed the president. Supporters of Vizcarra turned out to show their approval of the move. — NNN-AGENCIES