The president, and the people, against the parliament

摘要

Ever since he became president in March 2018, Martin Vizcarra has been at war with Peru's congress. This week, on September 30th, their rocky relationship came to a farcical turning point. Mr Vizcarra dissolved congress. The legislature struck back by suspending him from office and choosing the vice-president, Mercedes Araoz, to replace him. But this looked more like a gesture of defiance than a well-judged counterattack. Ms Araoz quit within 36 hours. Peru now looks headed towards congressional elections in January. What is not clear is whether this constitutional crackup will break the political deadlock or damage Peru's democracy.