Majority would approve three of four anticorruption referendums, poll shows

Peru’s nationwide referendum is just two weeks away as President Martín Vizcarra’s government has four anticorruption initiatives lined up on the ballot for people to either approve or disapprove.

The Dec. 9 vote’s four propositions to vote on will have to do with funding of political parties, whether or not lawmakers can continue to run for reelection in the same positions, the enactment of a bicameral legislature, and general reform to the National Council of the Magistracy.

According to a poll from the Peruvian Studies Institute (IEP), 60 percent of voters would be in favor of the magistracy council reforms; 63 percent in favor of the finance regulation for politicians and their parties; and 67 percent would like to prohibit the immediate reelection of lawmakers.

However, just 54 percent say they would be in favor of the installation of a bicameral legislature, which would not give the proposition the necessary percentage points to be approved, while the other three would pass if the survey holds true.

Some 1,200 people in 17 Peruvian departments were polled by the IEP, which stated a 2.8 percent possibility in margin of error.

The quartet of proposals comes as a direct measure from the Vizcarra government to combat corruption in Peru, especially that in the legislative and judicial branches.

“We’ll stand firm in the fight against corruption,” Vizcarra said when first proposing the popular vote in July. “The only way to do so is by receiving clear support from citizens, who are indignant at murky negotiations —contained in the audio recordings— that represent a cost to all of us, mainly to the weakest people.”