A proposal to make in-person attendance mandatory for Peru's Congress sessions is gaining support across several parties, though the Senate president has rejected it.
Indira Huilca, a congresswoman from Ahora Nacion, proposed that sessions be held in person as a general rule, with virtual participation allowed only for justified cases such as travel or illness.
Cross-party backing
Support for the measure appears to be advancing across party lines, with Ahora Nacion, Buen Gobierno and Renovacion Popular backing it. Renovacion Popular senator Javier Cipriani said the full session of Congress demands presence and responsibility toward the country.
Torres opposes the measure
Miguel Torres, president of the Senate and leader of Fuerza Popular, rejected the proposal, defending technological advances as a reason to keep virtual sessions.
The piece argues that Congress passed laws including pro-crime measures, the military jurisdiction law and a restrictive crimes-against-humanity law while relying on virtuality that allowed political opacity, without independent press cameras or the weight of in-person debate. It states that opposition lawmakers already backing the project should see it as a tool for their own oversight work and a clear public demand, while warning that if the Fujimorista bloc persists in rejecting it, that would contradict President Keiko Fujimori, who has rejected opacity as a form of governing. Peruvians will see which version of Fuerza Popular shows up to the debate next week, the piece concludes.
