Peru’s opposition-controlled Congress voted to force the country’s education minister from office in the lastest blow against President Pedro Pablo Kuczynskis 5-month-old government.
Tensions between the executive and the right-wing populist Popular Force party, led by Kuczynski’s defeated rival Keiko Fujimori, have escalated as opposition lawmakers pushed for the ouster of Education Minister Jaime Saavedra because of alleged corruption in public contracts.
Saavedra’s supporters said the opposition targeted him to defend powerful private universities facing tougher standards from his education reforms.
The government hopes the motion will mark an end to hostilities with Popular Force after Kuczynski backed off a threat to turn the motion to oust him into a vote of confidence on his prime minister, which could have brought him closer to being able to constitutionally dissolve Congress.
But critics of Popular Force warned the success of the ouster motion would embolden the opposition, allowing Congress to pick off other members of Kuczynski’s cabinet to destabilize his government.
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