Manuel Merino announced this Sunday his “irrevocable” resignation as president of Peru and has called for “peace and unity”, a step that paves the way for a solution to the serious and deep political crisis that the country has been facing since he took office. power a week ago.
Merino has announced his resignation in a televised message to the nation, just minutes after Congress urged the president to resign while calling an extraordinary plenary session to find a constitutional solution to the crisis and find a successor to the resigning president.
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The announcement of the resignation has been received with excitement and applause in the streets, where thousands of citizens continued with the protests to request their exit from the Government Palace.
However, in the statement that Merino read, there was apparently no hint of self-criticism for the events of the last few days, particularly for the violent incidents that on Saturday night left two dead and dozens injured and missing in the protests against his presence. in the power.
The resigning president limited himself to expressing his condolences to the relatives of the deceased and to the citizens who exercised “their right to demonstrate,” while indicating that the events will be duly investigated.
Merino, who was the president of Congress, also defended himself for having assumed power after the removal of Martín Vizcarra, something he did according to “the constitutional mandate” and “with responsibility, humility and honor.”
The Peruvian Congress dismissed Vizcarra last Monday, with 105 votes in favor, after debating the so-called “vacancy motion” brought against the president for accusations that he committed acts of corruption when he was governor of the southern province of Moquegua (2011- 2014).
“From before the vacancy occurred, there were voices that tried to confuse the country with which they were trying to remove the president to postpone the elections and that a group with my participation seeks to perpetuate itself in the country. I am a democrat, I respect the laws and this is a transitional government. Our first objective is to guarantee transparent and fair elections. Nothing and nobody can prevent them, “he said.
Merino also stressed that “no way out of this crisis” should be carried out outside the constitutional framework and pointed out that until that occurs “there cannot be a power vacuum”, for which he indicated that all the ministers of his Government, despite that hours ago they announced their resignation “they will continue in their positions until the uncertainty can be resolved.”
