Limping in Lima

摘要

AT FIRST SIGHT, the impeachment vote on September 18th looked like a big victory for Peru's president, Martin Vizcarra. Just 32 of 130 congressmen voted to remove him on suspicion that he had obstructed a corruption investigation. But the president owes his survival to the incompetence of his foes rather than to the strength or enthusiasm of his supporters. One congressman, Daniel Urresti, described him as the "living dead" before abstaining. Peru needs a vigorous president more than usual. The country has the world's highest number of recorded deaths from covid-19 as a share of its population. The government expects the economy to shrink by 12% this year, which would be the most severe contraction in Latin America. But Peruvians will have to wait months for a fully functioning government and may not get one even then. The country is due to hold a general election in April, and to inaugurate a new president in July. The impeachment saga suggests that the political system may well fail to produce stability.