Peru’s congress voted on Friday to begin impeachment hearings against President Martín Vizcarra over allegations of obstruction of justice, a move that could result in his swift removal from office just as the country faces one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.
The political crisis was set off by the release in Congress on Thursday of audio recordings that appear to show the president instructing officials to lie about an influence-peddling scandal.
The impeachment is the latest battle in the protracted standoff between Mr. Vizcarra, a popular centrist former governor, and a divided congress hostile to his attempts to pass anti-corruption measures and change the country’s judicial and political system.
In January, the tension led to a snap congressional election. Now the standoff could interfere with the country’s response to the coronavirus.
Mr. Vizcarra said the audio recordings had been manipulated, and denied they constituted anything illegal, much less grounds for impeachment.
“This is a lie that seeks to destabilize democracy and take control of the government,” Mr. Vizcarra said. “If you want to impeach me, here I am, with my conscience at ease.”
If he is ousted, the current president of congress, Manuel Merino, a right-wing businessman opposed to Mr. Vizcarra, would become the president.
On Friday, 65 lawmakers in the 130-member body voted to start proceedings against Mr. Vizcarra, though not all members voted. The president’s opponents in congress will ultimately need 87 votes to remove him.
