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| Peru president dissolves Congress but legislators defy order | Peru president dissolves Congress but legislators defy order |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A political crisis in Peru has deepened after President Martín Vizcarra dissolved Congress, saying the body was blocking his anti-corruption measures. | |
| The opposition-run Congress then voted to suspend Mr Vizcarra, naming Peru's vice-president as new leader. | The opposition-run Congress then voted to suspend Mr Vizcarra, naming Peru's vice-president as new leader. |
| But officials said their move was void, as the chamber had already been closed. | But officials said their move was void, as the chamber had already been closed. |
| Hundreds of Mr Vizcarra's supporters gathered outside the Congress building in the capital, Lima, to cheer the decision, while riot police stood by. | Hundreds of Mr Vizcarra's supporters gathered outside the Congress building in the capital, Lima, to cheer the decision, while riot police stood by. |
| The chaotic scenes came as Peru was still reeling from the fallout of a massive corruption scandal involving the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht. | The chaotic scenes came as Peru was still reeling from the fallout of a massive corruption scandal involving the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht. |
| "Peruvian people, we have done all we could," Mr Vizcarra said in a televised statement, announcing that he had invoked a constitutional article allowing presidents to dissolve Congress. | "Peruvian people, we have done all we could," Mr Vizcarra said in a televised statement, announcing that he had invoked a constitutional article allowing presidents to dissolve Congress. |
| The drastic move, he said, was necessary in order to hold new legislative elections after parliamentarians failed to pass his reforms and, last week, refused a bill to hold a snap election. | The drastic move, he said, was necessary in order to hold new legislative elections after parliamentarians failed to pass his reforms and, last week, refused a bill to hold a snap election. |
| But opposition legislators responded by calling him a "dictator" and voted to declare him temporarily suspended, naming Vice-President Mercedes Aráoz as a replacement. | But opposition legislators responded by calling him a "dictator" and voted to declare him temporarily suspended, naming Vice-President Mercedes Aráoz as a replacement. |
| Mr Vizcarra was sworn in last year after his predecessor, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, resigned over allegations of corruption. | Mr Vizcarra was sworn in last year after his predecessor, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, resigned over allegations of corruption. |
| Peru's three other most recent presidents have been linked to the Odebrecht scandal - which saw executives from the construction firm confess to having paid bribes to politicians in exchange for contracts in various parts of the world. | Peru's three other most recent presidents have been linked to the Odebrecht scandal - which saw executives from the construction firm confess to having paid bribes to politicians in exchange for contracts in various parts of the world. |