Peruvians to vote for new Congress as country seeks to turn page on crisis

JANUARY 24, 2020 / 9:09 AM / UPDATED 20 HOURS AGO

Marco Aquino
3 MIN READ

LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvians will head to the polls on Sunday to choose a new Congress that will be in place for just over a year, as the copper-rich South American nation seeks to overcome a political crisis that led to the closure of parliament.

The ballot represents a political showdown, with 22 parties vying for 130 seats in Congress, which was dissolved in September by President Martin Vizcarra amid a long-running standoff with lawmakers over anti-corruption reforms.

The shutdown of Congress, which garnered support from the armed forces, the police and voters, was deemed legal by Peru’s top court on Jan. 14 in response to a lawsuit brought by the former Congress president.

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Peruvians, who typically mistrust politicians and have seen four former presidents investigated for corruption, have so far been lackadaisical about the elections. Almost half of voters said they still do not know who they will vote for, according to the latest polls.

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