Who doesn't love a good political scandal, especially when it involves a president falling from grace in a blaze of corruption? That's exactly what happened with the second impeachment and removal of Martín Vizcarra, the former President of Peru, who found himself on the wrong side of his own government in November 2020. Now, I’m no expert in Peruvian politics, but when a sitting president is ousted not for a tyrannical reign or because they insulted a global ally, but for allegedly accepting bribes back when they were a governor, you have to admit, that's political theater at its finest.
Vizcarra, the man who came into power like a knight in shining armor ready to battle corruption, ended up being another character in the ongoing saga of Peruvian political drama. During his time as governor of the southern department of Moquegua between 2011 and 2014, he allegedly accepted large sums of money in exchange for public works contracts. This came back to haunt him when Congress, seizing an opportunity, voted overwhelmingly to impeach him for 'permanent moral incapacity'. Whether or not these allegations were true, Vizcarra’s hands were tied and he became another casualty of the rampant corruption that seems synonymous with Peruvian politics.
Let’s not forget, 2020 was a year when the world was more focused on a global pandemic than on impeaching presidents left and right. Yet in Peru, Congress saw it urgent to hold Vizcarra accountable and sent him packing. Was it a moral reset? A political strategy to settle old scores? Probably a little bit of both. Peru needed a good shaking up, and Congress decided it was high time someone fell on their sword. It’s clear that no one in this saga wore a halo.
You might be thinking, “Wow, Peru must be an outlier in political kerfuffles.” But let's keep it real, there are echoes of this kind of political vendetta everywhere. The Democrats in the United States have been after Trump like a cat on a hot tin roof for years. Similarly, in Peru, the pursuit of Vizcarra was not merely about justice but also about political gain. There’s always someone waiting in the wings to seize power, and this case is no exception.
Vizcarra’s impeachment was the second—yes, second—attempt against him. Just two months before his removal, Congress tried and failed to oust him over alleged irregularities in government contracts. This unsuccessful attempt clearly did not dampen their spirits. They swung, missed, and picked up the bat all over again, proving that persistence is key. Eventually, they got him on their second run with a vote of 105-19, further proving that in politics, if at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.
His downfall cut short what could have been a historic presidency. Under Vizcarra, the controversial former president, there was an attempt at reform, an allure of change that beguiled citizens into believing something tangible was on the horizon. Instead, they saw their leader brought low by the very institution meant to support him. Surely, if there’s one lesson here, it’s that in politics, allies can quickly become your fiercest enemies.
In the aftermath, Vizcarra was barred from holding public office for ten years—a decisive end for his once promising political career. He has, however, maintained his innocence, claiming that the charges were politically motivated and that he never took any bribes. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Another leader asserting their purity while simultaneously riddled with allegations.
This saga also forces us to question the effectiveness of democracy. If democratic institutions can easily remove leaders over allegations without irrefutable proof, what’s stopping them from targeting opponents for personal gain? Martín Vizcarra’s impeachment brings to light the same accusations and defense motives we've seen in global politics time and time again. It paints a bleak picture of our institutions’ susceptibility to manipulation. Can we trust any of them? You be the judge, but history doesn’t lie.
This spectacle of impeachment and removal doesn’t just make for an entertaining headline; it serves as a solemn reminder of the turbulent and often laughably tragic world of politics. Vizcarra’s story was as much about an individual as it was about a system bent on asserting its dominance, reminding leaders that no seat of power is secure if those in control decide otherwise.