International News
7 DECEMBER 2020
Peru: protests turn violent after President’s impeachment Maria Sole Campinoti, BA History & Politics
The impeachment of President of the Republic of Peru Martin Vizcarra on 9 November has led to weeks of turbulence and protests. The country saw the dismantling of its elected government and three Presidents take charge between 9 and 17 of November. After taking office in March 2018, Vizcarra obtained nationwide support due to his political credibility. Before becoming president he had served as Vice-President, Minister of Transportation, and Governor of the region of Moquegua. He was also admired for his tough policies aimed at ending Peru’s crippling corruption. After being elected, the centrist Vizcarra held a nationwide referendum to challenge corruption that was approved and hailed as a milestone for Peruvian democracy. Despite support for Vizcarra, there was fierce competition between him and his political opponents. On 18 September 2020, Vizcarra was impeached for the first time. The accusers, made up of lawmakers and captained by Edgar Alarcon, failed to remove Vizcarra from office with only 32 votes out of 130 cast in favour. Vizcarra was accused of moral incapacity following concerns regarding a contract between singer Richard Cisnernos and the ministry of culture, for which Cisnernos was hired to perform speeches. The accusation stated that Cisnernos’ $50,000 salary was inexplicably high unless the singer had some ties with the government or if the contract included hidden bribes. Vizcarra denied these claims. Though Vizcarra survived the first impeachment proceedings, attacks on his government continued. The COVID-19 pandemic hit Peru particularly hard, with almost 36,000
people having died from the disease. The country faces an economic recession, as its GDP is expected to shrink 13% compared to the previous year. In the metropolitan area of Lima, more than 3.2 million people have become unemployed. Subsequently, lawmakers of nine opposition parties accused Vizcarra of accepting bribes up to 2.3 million Peruvian Soles (about £487,000) when he was Governor of Moquegua. Claiming ‘moral unfitness,’ the accusing lawmakers asked once again for his impeachment. While Vizcarra maintained his innocence and claimed that he was a victim of false accusations, on 9 November 2020 Congress voted for his removal from office with 105 votes in favour and just 19 against. The impeachment of Vizcarra triggered Peruvians to mobilize and to protest in the name of their President and their democracy. Protests took place in cities throughout Peru including the capital Lima, Cusco, Cajamarca, and Trujillo. There were also demonstrations in New York and London. Protests further intensified after 10 November when Manuel Merino was named new President of Peru. In addition to supporting Vizcarra’s impeachment, Merino is regarded by many Peruvians as corrupt and anti-democratic, leading to the escalation of mass protests. On 14 November, in the capital Lima, peaceful protests became violent when a group of protestors began to throw rocks and fireworks at the police. This resulted in the death of two young men, aged 24 and 25, and many injuries. Merio resigned from office on 15 November due to increasingly violent protests and a lack of credibility. Francisco Sagasti became President 17 November, vowing to unite the country after the days of civil unrest following Vizcarra’s
Demonstrations against the new President Manuel Merino on November 14, 2020 (Credit: ERNESTO BENAVIDES / AFP)
impeachment. Sagasti is now faced with an extremely challenging task; not only will he have to restore order after the protests, but he will also have to prove to Peruvians that he will be the right man to guide them through an uncertain future for the country.
Covid-19 vaccines spark optimism but don’t provide a silver bullet Lyla Amini, MA Migration and Diaspora Studies, Persian Preliminary findings suggested that two vaccines are 90-94.5% effective at preventing Covid-19. Though developing a new vaccine takes on average 10 years from initial research to mass production, the pandemic expedited the process and vaccines have been produced in record time. The findings came just a year after the first documented case of the disease. There are currently 13 vaccines in the third and final phase of testing. Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna recently released preliminary analyses of their efficacy trials. The two vaccines are proof of principle that a vaccine can be created for the SARS-CoV-2 genome. No vaccines were successfully developed to combat outbreaks of other coronavirus strains such as SARS or MERS, making this a groundbreaking achievement. The rapid development of these Covid-19 vaccines were greatly aided by the fact that a new method of vaccine development was ready and waiting to be tested when the pandemic hit. Furthermore, high infection rates accelerated the pace of clinical trials. Governments are supplying an endless cash flow that eliminates any financial roadblocks in the process. These vaccines are both based on an mRNA molecule that encodes the spike protein, which is how the Covid-19 virus fuses to and enters cells. Both vaccines essentially contain part of Covid-19’s genetic code. When administered, the
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body produces viral proteins that train the immune system to effectively identify and respond to the Covid-19 virus. Though the preliminary findings are hopeful, as of 22 November they are not yet peer-reviewed nor licenced by regulatory bodies. If proven safe, it could still be several months or even years before a vaccine is widely available.
“Though the preliminary findings are hopeful, they are not yet peerreviewed nor licenced by regulatory bodies. If proven safe, it could still be several months or even years before a vaccine is widely available.” A significant hurdle to overcome for this vaccine is the mass immunisation campaign required. Both vaccines must be stored at subzero temperatures, raising serious logistical questions around administering them. Furthermore, both vaccines require two doses per person and must be administered at two separate times. It still remains unknown how long immunity to Covid-19 lasts after receiving the vaccine. Wealthy countries like the UK, US, and Canada are entering into their own deals with pharmaceutical companies, ordering and buying up millions of doses in advance. 78% of the 1 billion doses Moderna reports it has capacity to produce by the end of the year have already been sold
off to countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Japan, and EU member countries. Countries unable to do so are entering into a mechanism called COVAX Facility, a multilateral agreement created to support an equitable distribution of a vaccine. The agreement remains ineffective at confronting profit-driven pharmaceutical companies, patents, property rights, and technological information barriers that prevent these vaccine breakthroughs from truly being a ‘great day for science and humanity,’ as declared by Dr. Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO. As soon as the preliminary testing data was released, stocks for both companies skyrocketed. Pfizer could make as much as $13 billion in profits next year from the sale of their coronavirus vaccine. Moderna, despite having received $2.48 billion from taxpayers, has announced it also intends to make profit from its vaccine sales. Though news of effective vaccine trials adds a dash of optimism to the emotions of this pandemic experience, scientists are warning against premature relaxation of restrictions, as a vaccine does not offer the end-all silver bullet in making it through this global pandemic. Public health experts continue to advise that much of how the pandemic will play out in the coming months will be determined more by the adaptive behavior and decisions people make to abide by precautionary measures than by the prospects of a vaccine on the horizon.
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