How a grassroots revolt restored democracy in Peru

[Judi Lynn]

Peruvian citizens showed the world that resistance is not futile
Posted 24 November 2020 11:30 GMT

In November 2020, Peru saw one of the largest protests in its history when thousands of people took to the streets throughout the country in a spontaneous movement led by youth and grassroots organizations.

The protests were propelled by what they deemed to be an unlawful coup against their president, Martín Vizcarra, who had been impeached by the Peruvian Congress on November 9.

While legislators were trying to protect themselves from judicial investigations of corruption, the police were snatching the Peruvian flag from protestors. It was the people in the streets—not Peru's Congress—who were the ones fighting to preserve the country's democracy.

The Congress had used a mechanism of the Peruvian Constitution to oust the president on grounds of moral incapacity, as Vizcarra had corruption accusations pending. Yet, many constitutionalists argued that the legislators had interpreted the constitution in their favor: the original meaning of “moral incapacity” in this context was “mental inability,” not ethical, or moral, ineptitude.

More:
https://globalvoices.org/2020/11/24/how-a-grassroots-revolt-restored-democracy-in-peru/