Peruvian Congress authorizes Castillo’s participation in the UN General Assembly

The plenary of the Peruvian Congress has authorized this Thursday that the president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, can travel to New York and attend the UN General Assembly, after in August it banned him from attending the inauguration of Gustavo Petro as president of Colombia.

With 69 votes in favor, 43 against and one abstention, the Peruvian Parliament has authorized the departure of the Peruvian president from the country between September 18 and 22. Among the reasons argued by the Presidency of the country are the intervention of Castillo in the assembly on September 19, reported the radio station RPP.

Likewise, it had been planned that the president would intervene in the high-level general debate of the general assembly, to be held on Tuesday, September 20.

The decision of the Congress contrasts with the refusal in early August in which Castillo was denied permission to attend the inauguration of Gustavo Pedro as president of Colombia in Bogota.

According to Article 102 of the Constitution, the Congress of the Republic of Peru has among its attributions “to authorize the president of the Republic to leave the country”, which is why Castillo had to request permission to travel to the United Nations General Assembly.

When the Peruvian Parliament rejected the authorization to Castillo to be present at Gustavo Petro’s investiture, the Peruvian Foreign Minister, César Landa, argued that the country’s international image had been damaged.

“Our international image is once again called into question by not authorizing the president’s trip (…) I call on the congressmen, who on other occasions have reversed decisions to honor Peru’s international commitments,” Landa urged.

The relationship between the Congress and the Government of Peru has been in decline during the last months, to the point that the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) had to show its concern for the conflictive situation between both powers.

“The growing crisis in different areas left by the pandemic, and a worrying image of the decision makers in the public opinion, make governance vulnerable,” the organization said in a letter after the Congress, led by Camones, did not allow Castillo to attend the investiture of the Colombian president.