Peru's Interim President Resigns After 5 Days of Relentless Protests
Peru's Interim President Manuel Merino resigned just after five days of being sworn into office. He resigned due to the violent protests across the country which lasted for almost a week following the impeachment of the former president.
Peru's Congress impeached their former President Martin Vizcarra over alleged corruption and bribery. This led to the different violent street protests in the country. The Congress appointed their leader Manuel Merino as the interim President.
However, Pres. Manuel Merino resigned on Sunday or just five days after he took the office. His decision is because of nearly a week of violent street protests across the country.
When he took the office Tuesday last week, he immediately faced opposition who refused to recognize him according to NPR.
"I want to make it known to the whole country that I irrevocably present my resignation for the office of the presidency and I call for peace and unity for all Peruvians. My commitment is with Peru and I will do everything in my power to guarantee a constitutional succession and for Congress to determine in order for Peru to move forward," Merino told the nation shortly after resigning.
According to AP News, Merino was Peru's head of Congress and he replaced former President Vizcarra when he was impeached on Monday or on November 9.
Congress alleged that Vizcarra had an involvement in corruption, which the former president denied. His impeachment sparked protests across the country.
The violent protests started on Monday night and continued for six days in a row. The turmoil eventually led to the death of two persons while 94 other individuals got injured. It was reported that police authorities used tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor's office has already opened an investigation over the death of two persons, as reported by The Guardian. Peru's Office of the Ombudsman has been monitoring the protests and called to stop the use of tear gas and rubber bullets that went viral on social media.
Aside from Merino's resignation on Sunday, he also said that his Cabinet members already offered their resignation.
However, he claimed that he intends to keep the ministers in place until the situation is cleared in order to avoid creating a power vacuum.
It was also confirmed that at least eight cabinet members confirmed their resignation between Saturday and Sunday according to state press agency Andina. On the other hand, it was not only the demonstrators who were calling for the resignation of Merino.
Among those who called for his resignation was the mayor of Lima Jorge Muñoz, Nobel Prize winner and influential Peruvian figure Mario Vargas Llosa, and the Peruvian National Assembly of Regional Governors. They refused to accept his authority.
Following his resignation, Peru's Congress called for a plenary session on Sunday to discuss the appointment of the next president.
It is still not clear until now who will be the country's leader but the Presidential elections are scheduled for April next year.
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