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Peru president dissolves Congress but legislators defy order

01 October 2019 08:54 (UTC +04:00)

Peru's political crisis has deepened after President Martin Vizcarra dissolved Congress, saying the body was blocking his anti-corruption measures, APA reports citing BBC.

The opposition-run Congress then voted to suspend Mr Vizcarra, naming Peru's vice president as new leader.

But officials said their move was void, as the chamber had already been closed.

Hundreds of Mr Vizcarra's supporters gathered outside the Congress building in the capital, Lima, to cheer the decision, while riot police stood by.

The chaotic scenes came as Peru was still reeling from the fallout of a massive corruption scandal involving the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.

"Peruvian people, we have done all we could," Mr Vizcarra said in a televised statement, announcing that he had invoked a constitutional article allowing presidents to dissolve Congress.

The drastic move, he said, was necessary in order to hold new legislative elections after parliamentarians failed to pass his reforms and, last week, refused a bill to hold a snap election.