Peru: President Pedro Castillo Faces Impeachment Debate Ahead of Votes That Could Oust Him From Office

Peru President Pedro Castillo on Monday faced the members of the country's Congress, ahead of the impeachment votes that can cost him his post.

According to France 24, Castillo was not present at the debate, but he was represented by his lawyer. However, he still appeared before and expressed his thoughts among the members of the Peruvian Congress before the debate took place, Bloomberg noted.

"I am subject to democratic due process... (and) I will always squarely face the nation," Castillo said at the opening of his hearing.

Castillo added that he hoped the issue about his impeachment will be closed today.

"We have been democratically elected and in that regard, we are not going to disappoint," Peru's president said earlier on Monday.

Al Jazeera noted that lawmakers would need at least 87 votes out of the 130-seat lower house for Pedro Castillo's ouster.

However, Norma Yarrow from the Advance Country party, a group that sponsored Castillo's impeachment, said that they currently do not have the votes they need to oust the current Peruvian president, claiming that they only have 76.

The voting for Castillo's impeachment is slated to happen after midnight on Monday, per Al Jazeera.

Peru President Pedro Castillo Defends Himself Ahead of Impeachment Votes

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo also defended himself when he spoke before the lawmakers ahead of the debate.

Al Jazeera noted that Castillo argued that the motion to impeach him as the president of Peru was baseless.

He also added that the accusation slammed against him was only speculation, and he also blamed the biased media for the issue.

"Everybody knows that it doesn't contain one element to sustain it," he said of the motion," Castillo pointed out, adding that the allegations against him do not have any "corroboration."

The impeachment that Castillo faces came after he was caught in corruption allegations earlier in March.

According to France 24, the opposition accuses Castillo, a former rural teacher, of moral incapacity and tolerating alleged corruption in his circle.

Castillo denied the said allegation slammed against him and blamed them on the economic groups seeking a "coup" against his administration.

Castillo also faced a similar impeachment attempt in December in which he was triumphant against the opposition.

Peru: Protests Erupt Ahead of Pedro Castillo's Impeachment Vote

The Impeachment debate came a day after thousands of people filled the streets of Lima calling for Castillo to be ousted from his position.

Al Jazeera mentioned that protesters held signs with the statements "national embarrassment" and "power based on lies is illegitimate."

"People can't take it anymore. We are fed up, the people demand justice and all the corrupt people to be gone," one protester said.

On Monday, about 500 protesters also gathered outside the hearing. The said protesters also support Castillo's removal from his post.

According to reports, impeachment proceedings are common in Peru due to its constitution that allows one to be brought against a president based on a subjective issue rather than legal wrongdoing.

Al Jazeera highlighted that every president in Peru in the last 36 years was caught in corruption allegations, with some of them left imprisoned.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Peru Congress to Hold Impeachment Trial for President - From Al Jazeera English