LIMA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Peru's Congress on Thursday unanimously approved holding a referendum on four constitutional reforms aimed at fighting rampant corruption in government.
"Congress honors its commitments," the president of the legislative body, Daniel Salaverry, said following the session.
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra proposed the reforms in July following recent scandals involving influence-peddling by high-level judges. Those revelations came on the heels of former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's resignation as he faced impeachment on corruption charges.
A Dec. 9 referendum would consult voters about reforms to the National Council of the Magistrature (CNM), a system to appoint and ratify the country's judges and prosecutors; as well as campaign finance reform; a proposal to bar legislators from immediate reelection, as other elected officials are, including the president, governors and mayors; and turning the single-chamber Congress into a bicameral legislature.
Lawmakers had been reluctant to vote on the reforms, especially the measure that restricts reelection, which was finally passed after a lengthy debate that began Wednesday night and concluded early Thursday, with 75 votes in favor, 23 against and nine abstentions.
Vizcarra, Kuczynski's vice president, took office in March after the president quit once videos surfaced showing his political allies attempting to buy the votes of lawmakers in the lead up to a congressional vote on impeachment amid corruption scandals.
Recent polls show Vizcarra is enjoying an upsurge in popularity as a result of his efforts to fight corruption.
