The plenary session of the Congress, which was supposed to hold early elections this afternoon, is again suspended until tomorrow

Board of Directors of the Congress announced on Tuesday that the plenary session was adjourned until tomorrow, February 1, starting at 11:00. A project to advance the elections was due to be considered this afternoon, but it was again shelved due to a lack of consensus among the parliamentary benches.

On Monday, the re-discussion of the initiative to advance the elections was approved by 66 votes after last Friday’s failure to garner 87 votes. However, the situation continues without a visible solution.

Congressman Fujimori Patricia Juarez said yesterday at PTR that they are seeking to submit a replacement text that will enable them to obtain the 87 votes required to approve the draft in this legislature, which has been extended to 10 February by order of the Board of Directors.

“The benches that ask for a lot understand that there is something that cannot be fulfilled, at least for now. The final proposal is being finalized. If the proposal of one of the political forces is accepted, then we will not be surprised at the high number of votes,” he said.

Alberto Otarola also spoke out the day before, asking parliament to approve a project to advance the elections as soon as possible, as called for by President Dina Boluarte.

“As for the bill announced by the President of the Republic to advance the elections, I repeat that we are waiting for this decision with the understanding that all the democratic benches will discuss it, and I am sure that they are very urgent about the situation in the country,” he said. .

If it receives the 87 votes needed to pass the motion for an electoral advance, it will be submitted for consultation in the next Legislative Assembly, which begins on February 15. Otherwise, it can be decided by a referendum if 66 votes are received.

When will the referendum take place?

Electoral law expert Fernando Velesmoro pointed out that the minimum period for holding elections is about four months, so May can be considered a tentative date for a hypothetical referendum.

“We are talking about a minimum period of four months to be able to hold a referendum with proper guarantees, because there is also the problem of the distribution of proposals, the necessary debate to be able to come to the polls informed,” he told RPP Noticias.

Susel Paredes denounces

Congresswoman Susel Paredes said there is a transcendence in which the forthcoming replacement text proposes by-elections; that is, parliamentarians will have the opportunity to stand again in elections to complete the legislative period.

The MP asked her colleagues to be a little more generous and include in the replacement text that the current MPs are not authorized to participate in by-elections.