Peru’s President Survives Impeachment Bid, Government Limps On
- Lawmaker votes fell shy of toppling the embattled president
- Government likely to be politically weaker following crisis
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, Peru's president, center, sits before testifying before the National Congress in Lima, on Dec. 21.
Photographer: Guillermo Gutierrez/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski survived a pell-mell impeachment effort over allegations that he lied about dealings with Brazilian construction company Odebrecht SA, which is at the center of the biggest corruption scandal in Latin America’s history.
After a Thursday congressional session that lasted more than 13 hours, lawmakers in the opposition-dominated chamber fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to declare the Wall Street veteran and former finance minister “morally incapable.” The president’s escape was narrow: 78 lawmakers voted for his impeachment, 19 against, and 21 abstained.