Francisco Sagasti, a member of the Peruvian congress, has been elected interim president of the country. This was reported by TV Perú.
97 parliamentarians voted for Sagasti, 26 were against. Mirta Vasquez will take over as vice president. The new interim head of state is expected to take the oath of office on Tuesday, November 17.
Francisco Sagasti – engineer, former World Bank official becomes the third president of the country in a week. On November 15, Manuel Merino, who had ruled the country since November 10, when his predecessor Martin Viscarre was impeached due to corruption allegations, announced his resignation from the post of interim President of Peru.
Merino resigned amid street protests. He is accused of conniving at the harsh actions of the police in dispersing the demonstrators, which resulted in the death of at least two people. One of the protests was harshly suppressed by the police, two people were killed, which provoked new riots.
Peruvian presidential elections are scheduled for April 2021.
