Peru Congress rejects two motions to impeach President Dina Boluarte

Peru’s Congress rejected proposals to begin impeachment proceedings against President Dina Boluarte twice on Thursday.

The first motion for impeachment, Nº 10850/2023, was proposed on Monday by Congresswoman Margot Palacios from the party “Perú Libre.” On the other hand, the motion Nº 10867/2023 was presented on Wednesday by Congresswoman Sigrid Bazan from the party “Cambio Democrático – Juntos por el Perú.”

Although both of these motions were made separately, they both alleged President Boluarte’s permanent moral or physical incapacity. If either motion had been confirmed by Peru’s Congress, then the presidency would have become vacant, as established in Article 113.2 of the Peruvian Constitution. The motions were rejected on Thursday for not meeting the required number of votes, which has to be at least 40% of qualified Peruvian Congress members, according to Article 89A of the Rules of the Congress of the Republic.

These motions and their recent rejections took place while President Boluarte was being investigated “for the alleged crimes of illicit enrichment and failure to declare assets,” which started in March.

These investigations into what is currently known as the Rolex Gate were prompted by President Boluarte being spotted wearing an assortment of extravagant watches, which appeared incongruous with her salary, as indicated by the independent media organization La Encerrona. President Boluarte has been wearing expensive accessories since she was vice president and has continued to as she became the current president, according to a report from El Pais.