Peru's Minister of Culture, Alberto Beingolea, has criticized a proposal by some deputies to request a new, limited legislative powers bill covering only public security and disaster response measures, such as those needed for the El Niño phenomenon.
Beingolea said he hoped the deputies would reconsider their position, arguing that economic and social development also require urgent measures.
He told the radio station RPP that he believed the proposal reflected an error of vision, one he still hoped could be corrected. He said the deputies were acting within their functions, but suggested that a group of politicians had begun promoting what he called a compartmentalized view, one in which people believe problems can be solved separately without understanding that the country's problems are integral.
Push to narrow legislative powers
The request to limit the scope of the legislative powers bill was raised by the parliamentary blocs Ahora Nación, Juntos por el Perú and Obras, in a formal letter sent to the president of the Council of Ministers, Luis Galarreta, before the Constitution Committee reached its decision.
In Peru, Congress can delegate lawmaking authority to the Executive branch for a limited time and on specific matters, a mechanism the government has been seeking to use across a broader range of policy areas than the deputies now propose.
So far, six committees of the Chamber of Deputies have rejected delegating legislative powers to the government, arguing that the request does not meet the level of material precision required by the Constitution.
Renovación Popular's conditional support
The debate comes after Rafael López Aliaga, leader of the Renovación Popular party, acknowledged that not all of the measures requested by the Executive have his party's backing, meaning it will support only those it considers essential.
He said there were some measures his party did not like, but that speaking now as a party, it would give full support to pass through both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate whatever is deemed extremely urgent, including measures tied to the El Niño phenomenon. He described the coming event as a very complicated El Niño.
El Niño is a recurring climate pattern that warms Pacific waters off Peru's coast and has historically triggered heavy rains, flooding and landslides, prompting past governments to seek emergency powers to prepare for and respond to the damage.
