The head of statePedro Castillo, sent a letter to the colombian president elect Gustavo Petro and his counterpart Ivan Duke to announce that he will not attend the inauguration ceremony to be held in Bogotá, Colombia. This responds to the fact that last Thursday, August 4, the plenary session of the Congress of the Republic voted against granting permission to the president to participate in the protocol act.
“Circumstances beyond my control prevent me from accompanying him in the significant and historic ceremony of the Transfer of Presidential Command next August 7, in Bogotá. The Congress of the Republic has not granted me the permission I require to leave the national territory, as established by the Political Constitution of Peru,” the Peruvian president wrote to President-elect Gustavo Petro.
Letter sent to Gustavo Petro
Castle Lumps told his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duke that, unable to attend, the Peruvian Vice President will represent him, Dinah Boluarte.
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“The decision of the Congress of the Republic is not consistent, in any way, with the very high value that my Government assigns to the historic relations of friendship, cooperation and desire for integration that unite our countries. For this reason, and in order for the Presidential Command Transfer to be represented at the highest possible level, I have asked the Vice President of Peru, Mrs. Dina Boluarte, to represent me at the aforementioned ceremony,” the document reads.
Letter sent to Iván Duque
Congress denied permission to President Pedro Castillo to travel to Colombia
The plenary session of Congress did not authorize the trip of President Pedro Castillo to Colombia for the inauguration of Gustavo Petro. With 42 votes in favour, 67 against and 5 abstentionsthe parliamentary representation denied the president permission.
Those who voted against were the opposition groups of Fuerza Popular, Acción Popular, Alianza para el Progreso, Avanza País, Renovación Popular and Somos Perú.
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Congress: preventing President Pedro Castillo’s trip to Colombia is an excess, according to specialists
According to the political scientist Arthur Maldonadothe decision of the Congress would be an excess, since it considered that there are not enough elements to not allow Castillo Terrones to leave.
“I think it is excessive. The president looks bad and, above all, the Foreign Ministry, Foreign Relations, by not being able to send a president to the assumption of command of a neighboring country, of the region. In addition, the reasons for the refusal in many cases are guided by a presupposition that seems to me to be still empty. That idea that what President Castillo really wanted was to escape from the country. There are not many elements to be able to say that and make a decision and deny him leave the country based on that presumption. The congressmen have acted motivated by false news, by transcendence, by gossip and not by more objective elements”, he told The Republic.
Along the same lines, the political scientist anthony medina manifested to The Republic that Parliament’s attitude was wrong, since it is the president who directs national foreign policy.
“It is definitely an excess, a totally unwise measure, because the President of the Republic is the head of state and constitutionally he is the one who directs Peruvian foreign policy.; that is, the Congress an attribution is being taken that puts our bilateral relations with a brother country at risk. I can’t imagine the president of Brazil or Colombia or any other country that due to internal politics is prevented from carrying out diplomatic tasks. It seems to me an extremely ill-advised measure ”, he pointed out.