Peru Congress Fails to Appoint Successor as Interim President Resigns

By Staff, Agencies

Peru is now without a president as the South American country's Congress has failed to appoint a new interim president after Manuel Merino announced his resignation amid mass opposition protests.

Merino, the Congress chairman who had assumed the post of interim president after the sudden impeachment and ouster of former president Martin Vizcarra over bribery charges on November 9, announced his resignation on Sunday.

Ever since Merino's appointment, Vizcarra's supporters launched mass rallies on a daily basis to protest the ex-president's ouster. The growing public anger eventually resulted in Merino announcing that he was stepping down on Sunday.

Merino's resignation followed an ultimatum from Congress for him to resign or face censure over the death of two protesters and the injury of about 100 others in Sunday's rallies which reportedly came as a result of police firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

The country’s congress failed to name Merino's successor on Sunday.

Vizcarra, who denies any wrongdoing, blasted the government's deadly clampdown on the protesters.

He tweeted, "I deeply regret the deaths that have occurred as a result of the repression of this illegal and illegitimate government."

Peru's prosecutor's office has now said that a probe was already underway into the two deaths that occurred during anti-government protests.