Verónika Mendoza warns that Congress will reject bill for new Constitution: “It will do everything impossible to block it”

The former presidential candidate, Verónika Mendoza, considered that the p proposal announced yesterday in Cusco by President Pedro Castillo, on the inclusion of a referendum ballot for a new Constitution in the next regional and municipal elections this year, will be rejected by the Congress of the Republic.

Through an extensive thread on Twitter, the leader of New Peru began by explaining that the government proposed the popular consultation more as a “lifesaver” for its administration, rather than as a legitimate “conviction.” For this reason, he urged citizens to get involved in the initiative to achieve a new Magna Carta.

“A new Constitution is a legitimate demand of broad sectors of the country and a necessity evidenced by the deep and multiple crisis we are going through. We know that the president is now proposing a referendum on the matter more as a “lifesaver” than out of conviction,” the former congressman tweeted.

“And we know that Congress is going to do everything impossible to block it, which is why it is essential that this debate is not hijacked “on high” but that citizens get involved, that the forces of change are mobilized,” he added.

Mendoza went on to explain that, today, there is a need for a political, social and citizen front that pressures the Government and Congress to implement an emergency plan, a reform plan and another constituent plan.

“Just as we need a new social pact, we need attention to urgent demands. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a political, social and citizen front (social, political, youth, women organizations...) that proposes and pressures the Government and Congress to implement three plans: emergency plan (alleviate the rising costs of food, fuel, fertilizer, etc.), reform plan (reform) tax, second agrarian reform, gas massification, social security, etc.), and constituent plan ”, he argued.

Finally, he emphasized that the constituent plan is of the utmost importance in order to decide in an appropriate manner who will be the members of the constituent assembly, and what will be modified from the Constitution of 93.

“A 'constituent plan' because it's not just about deciding whether or not we want a new Constitution, but also about deciding how constituents are going to be elected to represent all sectors of the country, and also discussing what we want to change and where,” he said.

“We have to take care of this process because it is about defining a new social pact that redefines what rules of the game and what values we want to guide our country. We are going for a popular, paritarian and plurinational constituent assembly! Let's go for a new social pact! ”, he continued.

PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS SAID NO TO THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

The president of the Congress of the Republic, María del Carmen Alva, spoke out against to consult the population whether or not they want a new Constitution. According to him, there is no opinion poll that shows that the Constituent Assembly is a priority for Peruvians.

Along the same lines, the Parliamentarian for Acción Popular used her Twitter account to ask President Pedro Castillo to give priority to the real problems facing Peruvians, such as the fight against insecurity, unemployment and corruption.

“Mr. Castillo forgets that the country's priorities are the fight against insecurity (Security in Emergency), unemployment and corruption. There is not a single opinion poll where the Constituent Assembly is a priority for Peruvians,” tweeted the head of the legislature.

That was also the feeling of the president of the Congressional Constitution Committee, Patricia Juárez, who said that it is not the time to call a referendum in Peru due to the constant social problems and political crises that it is going through.

In conversation with RPP, he said that “cold cloths” should be put on so that entrepreneurs and investors can still trust the country again and called it “irresponsible” to think about convening a Constituent Assembly in the current situation.

“We really wonder if we really - with the uncertainty it generates, without even knowing who are going to make this body of law right now, in the circumstances we are in, when what we have to give the country is tranquility, certainty, put cold cloths so that entrepreneurs and investors can still trusting the country, we could irresponsibly think of a Constituent Assembly,” said the congresswoman of Fuerza Popular.

“The president and his advisers know that this approach is unconstitutional. The only two forms of reform of the Constitution are provided for in article 206 of the Constitution. We cannot talk about calling for a referendum in October, because the elections have already been called. The rules governing municipal and regional elections cannot be changed. The bill is openly unconstitutional, there is no way as the president intends to submit to Congress to amend the Constitution. It again seeks to generate a citizen's expectation that does not correspond to our constitutional channels,” he said.

KEEP READING