A date for the long-awaited referendum for judicial reform in Peru is finally set. On Dec. 9, Peruvians will be able to vote on four constitutional reforms suggested by President Martín Vizcarra and the Executive Branch, per an announcement from the president on Tuesday.
The 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 state news agency Andina.
After Vizcarra’s stated desire that a popular vote was bound to occur, the country finally has a date for the vote stemming from the audio leaks showing a multitude of transgressions from Peruvian judges. Among the accusations stemming from the tapes is that judges in the highest courts of the country would give favorable rulings in exchange for bribes and cash.
Immediately after those tapes were made public, Vizcarra announced a reform board committed to investigating the cases of judicial corruption throughout Peru. The President has made it his priority to root out corruption in all levels of Peruvian society after taking over for disgraced ex-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.
“We’ll stand firm in the fight against corruption,” Vizcarra said when first proposing a 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.”
Last week, protestors took to the streets to raise their concern of the slow pace at which judicial change was being made in the country and demand the popular vote that is now just two months away.
