PERUVIAN PARLIAMENT ELECTS INTERIM PRESIDENT

Peru's parliament on Monday (Tuesday, November 17, 2020 in Manila), elected a new leader, Francisco Sagasti, who is now expected to become the country's president, the third in a week.

The 76-year-old center-right lawmaker will lead the country as caretaker president until elections due next year.

The South American country was plunged into political chaos last week when president Martin Vizcarra was impeached for corruption and replaced by interim president Manuel Merino, who resigned on Sunday, just five days after his appointment, following violent protests against the ouster of his predecessor in which at least two people were killed.

Vizcarra was removed from office last Monday in a vote of no-confidence by lawmakers, after he was accused of taking 2.3 million soles (636,000 dollars) in bribes from a construction company during his time as governor of the Moquegua region from 2011 to 2014. He denied the allegations. Merino's appointment on Tuesday sparked five days of protests, after which he stepped down, saying nothing justified the death of Peruvians in legitimate protests.