Snap election: Rep. Enrique Wong says he will vote against the executive’s draft

Congressman Enrique Wong (Podemos Peru) has indicated that he will vote against a project to postpone elections to 2023 proposed by the government of Dina Boluarte. He argued that the proposal had to withstand hold elections in April 2024which had the support of electoral associations (JNE, ONPE, Reniec).

“[¿Votaría usted a favor de este proyecto?] I am a member of this commission, but I would be against it, when there was an opportunity to promote elections or proposed changes, we invited organizations that know about the electoral process (ONPE, JNE, Reniec) and the Minister of Justice [José Tello]. They considered the month of April 2024 to be the necessary time for real reform.”, stated in Information Center RPP.

He added that the proposal received 90 votes in Congress “but there was a sudden change and I don’t know the reason they were put forward in December” and partially blamed his colleague Guerra Garcia (People’s Power) for this mess “in the proposal early elections this year.

“[¿Nano Guerra tiene responsabilidad?] Partly yes, he made a political calculation. We have already adopted the deadline for the reform and that it be positive for the country, because we believe that we can even carry out certain political constitutional reforms,” he commented on RPP TV.

MP Enrique Wong noted that Congress has done a good job in the face of the current situation. “We believe that a good role was played at this congress, we paved the way for all those who have in mind changes,” he said on RPP TV.

On the other hand, he argued that nationwide protests against the government of Dina Boluarte were legitimate as long as they did not go beyond the legal framework. “Their protest is legal, and what is illegal is that there is a group that is taking advantage of this fact and is trying to disrupt these destructive activities in the south, and that in Lima we have also suffered,” he said.

What does the Executive project say about the progress of the elections?

He executive power represented Congress of the Republic a new constitutional reform bill that establishes a change in the term of office of the President of the Republic and the representation of Andean congressmen and parliamentarians elected in the 2021 general election.

The legislative proposal, approved at today’s virtual meeting of the Council of Ministers, provides for the President of the Republic to call a general election to elect the President and Vice-Presidents of the Republic, as well as the Congressmen of the Republic, on the second Sunday of the month of October. year 2023.

The initiative includes four special transitional provisions to Constitution: the first indicates that the term of the president currently in office will end on December 31, 2023. Congressmen will end their representation on December 29, 2023; and representatives in the Andean Parliament on 31 December 2026

It also provides that in the announcement of the 2026 regional and municipal elections, the President of the Republic, elected in the 2023 general elections, also calls for elections in Andean Parliamentwho will be sworn in and take office on January 1, 2027, and their representation will end on July 27, 2028.

The second transitional provision concerns the fact that the President of the Republic elected in 2023 takes the oath and takes office before the Congress on December 31, 2023, and his term expires on July 28, 2028. It adds that the congressmen elected in 2023, they take an oath under the law and take office on December 29 of the same year, and complete their representation on July 26, 2028.

The third transitional provision indicates that the bodies involved in the electoral process take measures within their competence for the optimal and timely conduct of the electoral process, and the fourth indicates that Congress may enact other laws for the 2023 general elections. until February 28 this year.