Peru: Senate Constitutional Committee approves powers for the Fujimori government and the floor decides on Wednesday

LIMA, Peru. — The Senate's Constitutional Committee approved on Monday the 19th the report ratifying the 20 legislative powers the Chamber of Deputies granted to President Keiko Fujimori's government and added seven more points, so 27 powers now go to the Senate floor, which will debate and vote on them this Wednesday, October 21, at 10:00 a.m. in Lima.

The committee first approved the Deputies' report by 7 votes to 0, with none against and no abstentions, backed by the seven incumbent senators present, from Fuerza Popular, Renovación Popular and Obras; the four senators from Juntos por el Perú and Patricia Iturregui, of Buen Gobierno, did not attend, according to RPP and Infobae. Then, with the same 7-to-0 vote, it approved seven additional points: six on security —including the participation of the Armed Forces in the external security of maximum-security prisons, supervised release for people convicted of serious crimes, adjustments to self-defense and the strengthening of the National Intelligence Directorate (DINI)— and one to speed up works in response to the El Niño phenomenon.

The Chamber of Deputies had already approved on October 6 delegating to the Executive 20 of the 66 matters it requested, only in citizen security and the El Niño phenomenon, for 90 days. The government had requested powers to legislate by decree on 66 points over 120 days, across eight areas including small businesses, employment, taxes and state reform.

The opposition denounces that the Senate's additions "distort" the original project and announced they will vote against it on the floor. The text is no longer identical to the Deputies' version, so if the floor approves the version with the additions, the differences will have to be resolved between both chambers.

The deadlock comes as the multisectoral ENFEN committee warns that coastal El Niño could reach extraordinary magnitude until January 2027, with above-normal rainfall on the northern and central coast and the northwestern sierra. ENFEN's next statement is expected on October 30.

Photo: Vivarae News

Source: Vivarae News.