AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH OPPOSITION LEADERS, RECEIVES

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 002241

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/18/2015
TAGS: PGOV PINS PREL PE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH OPPOSITION LEADERS, RECEIVES
ASSURANCES THAT CONGRESS WILL NOT/NOT SPARK A
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

REF: A. LIMA 2222


B. LIMA 2054

Classified By: Political Counselor Alexander Margulies. Reason: 1.4(d
).


1. (C) The Ambassador, on 5/18, met separately with APRA
leader Alan Garcia and Unidad Nacional Legislative Bloc
leader Xavier Barron (Unidad Nacional leader Lourdes Flores
had agreed to meet the Ambassador but fell ill). According
to both Garcia and Barron, the opposition parties in Congress
will likely insist that votes be held on 5/19 on the three
sanctions separately proposed by the three opposition members
of the congressional Villanueva Committee in their report on
fraud allegedly committed when President Alejandro Toledo's
Peru Posible party was registered (Reftels):

-- Committee Chairman Edgar Villanueva's (Peru Ahora)
proposal to vacate the Presidency;

-- Unidad Nacional's Barron's proposal to disqualify Toledo
from holding office for ten years following conclusion of his
term; and

-- APRA's Victor Velarde's proposal to suspend Toledo until
criminal investigations and proceedings against him have
concluded (which would effectively run past the end of the
President's term).

Garcia and Barron, however, were emphatic that these
proposals would all fail and that Congress would not/not
spark a constitutional crisis with the Executive Branch.


2. (C) A follow-up cable on 5/19 will go into greater
detail on these discussions, as well as the Ambassador's
subsequent meeting with Prime Minister Carlos Ferrero.
STRUBLE