Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz


The media in Peru continues to watch Fujimori like a hawk during his trial.

Reports have been released with media catching Peru's former president sleeping, screaming, laughing and wearing sandals.

In the latest of reports, a photographer for a local newspaper took a picture of Alberto Fujimori as he was making preparations for 2011 presidential elections.

The former president was photographed taking notes on fund-raising campaigns, the cost of meetings and publicity as well as the prices of shirts and hats.

Paul Vallejos, a photographer for Peru21, took a picture of Fujimori during his trial as he was taking the sheets out of a folder and began to check each point. The former president then took some notes in a large notebook he always takes to court.

It was reported that this took place as a witness was at the stand giving his testimony.

Congressman Carlos Raffo explained that Alberto Fujimori "gets bored during the trial and has the right to think about other things".

"I imagine that after 55 sessions with prosecutors asking questions about the same thing for hours, the engineer (Fujimori) must get bored," Raffo said on CPN radio.

"He has the right to think about other things, he isn't prohibited from thinking about the future."

Furthermore, the congressional representative stated that he had attended the trial during the summer sessions and affirmed that it was "very boring to listen to prosecutors asking the same questions for three hours."

"If they asked more intelligent questions then things could be done in 20 to 30 minutes for the good of everyone," said Raffo.

He added that it was not illegal for Fujimori to prepare his campaign during the trial.

"He is simply a political leader that is going through a hard time and has not stopped thinking about the future," Raffo explained.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz


A bill that would make it much easier to get a divorce in Peru was proposed by congresswoman Rosario Sasieta in 2006 and is on the verge of being promulgated by the country's president.

The bill, which would make it possible to file divorce papers at a municipality or a notary instead of at the country's Justice Palace, was approved by the Congressional Justice Commission in March and was passed by Congress on Wednesday evening.

With 57 votes in favor, 28 against and 7 abstentions, the bill was approved by Congress for the second time. It will now be passed to Peru's President Alan Garcia to be signed into law.

From the day the bill is received by the president, he has 15 days to make his decision on the proposed law.

If the law is approved, couples that have been married for at least two years will be able to file for a divorce at a municipality or a notary.

According to Raul Castro, the head of the Congressional Justice Commission, the new law would speed up the divorce process, which currently takes between 6 and 8 months.

Rosario Sasieta explained that the objective was to reduce the cost of a divorce, the amount of time it took and alleviate the Judicial Power of a lot of paperwork.

The congresswoman explained that from the time divorce papers were filed until the moment a judge passed a sentence, a great deal of judicial workers were unnecessarily put to work.

It was reported that divorces would be handled at municipalities or notaries as long as spouses had already come to an agreement with respect to child custody and personal possessions.

There are currently over 3.6 million divorce cases pending in Peru's court system.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz


According to a poll carried out by the University of Lima's Public Opinion Group, more people in Lima approve of President Alan Garcia's administration.

The report showed that Alan Garcia's approval rating had increased 2.9 percent to 38.8 percent.

The month before this poll, only 35.9 percent of the people questioned stated they approved of the way Peru's president was running the nation.

The poll also revealed that Alan Garcia was supported more by people that belonged to the highest social class, socioeconomic sector A.

Over 60 percent of the people polled that belonged to "sector A" affirmed they approved of Garcia's administration.

On the other hand, as the level of incomes decreased throughout the different sectors, so did Alan Garcia's popularity.

56.4 percent of those polled belonging to "sector B" supported the president, while only 25 percent of those polled belonging to "sector E" said they approved of the head of state.

Another fact revealed by the poll was that younger people approved more of Garcia's administration than older generations.

29 percent of the people polled between the ages of 38 and 47 said to be happy with Garcia, while over 47 percent of participants between the ages of 18 and 27 affirmed they supported Peru's president.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz


After the European Parliament did not list the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) as a terrorist organization, Congressional representatives in Peru immediately convened and voted on a resolution to reaffirm that the MRTA was indeed an insurgent group.

All the members of congress present voted in favor of classifying the organization as a terrorist group; there were no votes against.

"With over 80 votes, congress has established that the MRTA is a terrorist group; this act is of huge importance and has great democratic value because all of the political parties have drawn a clear line in deciding that this group has committed crimes against humanity ," said Luis Gonzales Posada, the head of congress.

At the same meeting, members of congress passed a resolution in which legislators rejected the decision made by the European Parliament to omit the group from its list of terrorist organizations.

The motion serves two purposes, explained Posada, the first is to protest the decision made by the European Parliament and the second is to exhort the Parliament to evaluate the MRTA's behavior and consider them terrorists.

It was reported that Peru's congressional representatives would begin a campaign to inform Parliament members on the crimes committed by the MRTA.

The matter is to be discussed further during the upcoming EU-LAC summit.

The Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement is remembered by Peruvians for conducting bombings, kidnappings and assassinations throughout the 80s and 90s.

Among their list of crimes is the crisis at the Japanese Embassy in 1996, when they took hundreds of hostages and held them for several months.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Almost 70 percent of Peru's Congressional Regulatory Commission approved a bill Tuesday that would make it possible for members of congress to quit their jobs as the country's representatives.

According to the bill, which is to be seen by congress in upcoming plenary sessions, congressional representatives will be allowed to quit their jobs as long as fifty percent of congress accepts the politician's resignation.

Javier Velásquez Quesquén, head of the congressional regulatory commission affirmed that congress would have the final word in deciding which representatives could quit and which could not.

Luis Gonzales Posada, Peru's president of congress has stated that strict measures need to be imposed if politicians are going to be allowed to resign.

"Representatives can't just say I'm bored I quit", said the head of congress, assuring that being a congressional representative was not a "game".

He affirmed that the bill needed to be analyzed by congress and improved.

Fernando Tuesta, a political analyst assured that if the bill were approved it would worsen the "irresponsible" image that parliament already had, explaining that citizens would feel that the representatives they chose were abandoning their duties.

He added that sooner or later members of congress might begin quitting their jobs because they received more lucrative offers.

There is also the possibility that some politicians could be pressured into quitting, said Tuesta.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Despite a booming Peruvian economy, two world summits and new international trade deals, President Alan Garcia is not a popular man.

According to survey results released by CPI polling firm, only 33.8 percent of the citizens polled in Lima and Callao approve of Alan Garcia's administration.

The poll, which was carried out at the beginning of April, also revealed that almost 60 percent of those surveyed were not satisfied with the work Garcia was doing in the country.

On the other hand, polls showed that the president's approval rating has increased 0.2 percent since last month, when it was registered at 33.6 percent.

55.9 percent of the people polled stated that they were unhappy with the APRA leader's administration because of recent increases in food prices.

Other factors that contributed to the president's lack of popularity were salaries that did not increase, a lack of jobs, the lack of support for the country's poor and not keeping his promises.

President Garcia was much more popular than his cabinet though. Members from the president's cabinet had approval ratings as low as 9.5 percent e.g. Rafael Rey, the minister of production.

Other minister which were below 30 percent was the minister of tourism, the minister for women, the health minister, the minister of education, the minister of defense, the minister of foreign affairs, the minister of transportation, the minister of finance and the prime minister himself.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

In an effort to make congressional meetings more effective, Peru's president of congress, Luis Gonzales Posada, announced this week that the names of the congressional representatives who were absent or tardy would be posted on a government website.

The decision was finalized after over a dozen politicians were absent the day a new law was to be passed. It was reported that justifiable excuses were not provided.

Authorities have now announced that civil servants that are absent on a regular basis could be replaced.

"The constitution doesn't prohibit a politician from being replaced for disciplinary reasons," affirmed Javier Velasquez Quesquen, an APRA congressman representing the region of Lambayeque.

It has been agreed that a congressional supervisory committee will draw up an official report in which the consequences, fines and punishments for repeatedly being absent will be specified.

Velasquez, the head of the committee, has stated that many politicians feel their duties can come after other responsibilities.

He affirmed that these congressional representatives could be replaced.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

In a near future, Venezuela could begin to interfere with Peru's government the way it is interfering with Bolivia's, said Luis Vasquez Villamor and Carlos Böhrt, two Bolivian senators.

If Peru's government does not act soon, the country will have Venezuela sending checks, money and military personnel to Peru, similar to what is happening in Bolivia, explained the two politicians.

According to the senators, one way that Hugo Chavez was expanding and making his way into foreign countries was by using ALBA houses, which Peruvian officials say are meeting places for pro-Chavez radical leftists.

President Alan Garcia said in March that there were approximately 200 of these "houses" operating in Peru.

They are  believed to be tied to a Latin American alliance known as ALBA, which is led by Hugo Chavez to fight U.S. influence in the region.

After Bolivia's Senate head, Oscar Ortiz said that Venezuela was meddling in the country's internal issues, Senator Vasquez Villamor warned that the same thing could happen soon in Peru if the government did not control the situation.

"What is happening in Bolivia goes against all norms because all cooperation should be done through agreements and other similar channels. ALBA houses in Peru are a sign of this intrusion," said Vasquez.

Peru's government has not authorized for the ALBA houses to operate in the country or for other Venezuela-funded programs that have taken place in Peru.

Authorities have formed a special committee to investigate the ALBA houses.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

After a law was not passed last month because thirteen congressional representatives were absent from congress, Peru's government has decided to take stricter measures in making politicians fulfill their duties.

It was reported that the congressional representatives who were absent had not provided a valid excuse for their absences and had decided not to take part in the meeting without giving an acceptable reason.

Authorities have decided to fine politicians, in the case that this happens again, and publish the names of the congressional representatives that do not fulfill their duties, said Luis Gonzales Posada, the president of Peru's congress.

Furthermore, Posada announced that beginning next week congress would meet an additional two times per week.

It was reported that a list of the politicians that did not assist congress would be posted on the entity's web page. The people will know which politicians are fulfilling their duties and which are not, assured Posada.

He suggested that it would also be a good idea to publish the names of representatives that were absent and tardy in Peru's official gazette, El Peruano.

The president of congress explained that spokespersons for each party had agreed to educate politicians and make sure that the new measures were applied, stating that congressional representatives would be replaced if the problem continued.

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz

Fitch Ratings is the first major credit rating agency to raise Peru to investment grade.

The Andean nation's proud government received the news on Wednesday.

Since then Alan Garcia and his cabinet have held meetings to analyze the benefits of having a BBB- investment-grade level and how this will help Peru's economy.

Garcia assured that the new investment grade would attract cheaper capital that would pave the way for more employment and better salaries, which would benefit the country. Furthermore, the president assured that Peru had caught up with Chile.

He affirmed that the country had achieved this grade because of sound fiscal policies as well as social and economic stability, stating that he received this achievement humbly and serenely.

Garcia explained that this had been one of the goals he had set during his speech on July 28, Peru's Independence Day.

This upgrade creates the conditions for more foreign companies to invest in Peru, said Prime Minster Jorge del Castillo.

He explained that the rise in grade was a consequence of policies the government had set since the beginning of Garcia's administration.