Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra challenged the opposition-run Congress on Saturday to call a referendum on judicial and political reforms aimed at uprooting systemic corruption in one of Latin America's most promising economies.
Vizcarra called for a popular vote not just to fast-track judicial reforms, but also to gauge support for a ban on private financing of political campaigns, an end to the re-election of lawmakers and the creation of a second chamber in Congress.
The proposal is Vizcarra's latest attempt to distance himself from a political class widely seen as corrupt, following the resignation of the former president in March and a cronyism scandal that has roiled the justice system in recent weeks.