Manuel Merino facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Manuel Merino
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Merino in 2020
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| 61st President of Peru | |
| In office 10 November 2020 – 15 November 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Ántero Flores Aráoz |
| Vice President | First Vice President Vacant Second Vice President Vacant |
| Preceded by | Martín Vizcarra |
| Succeeded by | Francisco Sagasti |
| President of Congress | |
| In office 16 March 2020 – 15 November 2020 |
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| Vice President | 1st Vice President Luis Valdez Farías 2nd Vice President Guillermo Aliaga 3rd Vice President María Teresa Cabrera |
| Preceded by | Pedro Olaechea |
| Succeeded by | Rocío Silva Santisteban (acting) |
| First Vice President of Congress | |
| In office 26 July 2011 – 26 July 2012 |
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| President | Daniel Abugattás |
| Preceded by | Alejandro Aguinaga |
| Succeeded by | Marco Falconí |
| Member of Congress | |
| In office 16 March 2020 – 26 July 2021 |
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| Constituency | Tumbes |
| In office 25 July 2011 – 26 July 2016 |
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| Constituency | Tumbes |
| In office 26 July 2001 – 26 July 2006 |
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| Constituency | Tumbes |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Manuel Arturo Merino de Lama
20 August 1961 Tumbes, Peru |
| Political party | Popular Action |
| Spouse |
Mary Peña
(m. 1985) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | National University of Tumbes |
| Occupation |
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Manuel Arturo Merino de Lama (born 20 August 1961) is a Peruvian politician. He served as the President of Peru for a very short time, from 10 to 15 November 2020. Before that, he was the President of Congress from March to November 2020. He also worked as a Member of Congress for the Tumbes area for several terms.
In November 2020, the Peruvian Congress removed President Martín Vizcarra from his position. They used a reason called "moral incapacity," which is an old term. Many people in Peru saw this as a sudden change in power. Because he was the President of Congress, Manuel Merino became the new president of Peru. However, he resigned just five days later due to large protests across the country. Most Peruvians did not approve of him becoming president. Francisco Sagasti then became the next president.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Manuel Arturo Merino de Lama was born on 20 August 1961 in Tumbes, a city in northern Peru. His parents were Pedro Merino Hidalgo and Elba de Lama Barreto. In 1985, he married Mary Jacqueline Peña Carruitero, who is a teacher. They have three children together: Elba Jacqueline, Sandra Lisbeth, and María Teresa.
Merino finished his elementary school in 1973 and his high school in 1978, both in Tumbes. In 1979, he started studying agriculture at the National University of Piura, which later became the National University of Tumbes. He did not finish his studies there. In the same year, he joined the political party Popular Action. He became an active member of the party's youth group in Tumbes.
Business and Community Work
Starting in 1983, Manuel Merino worked as a farmer and trader. He also raised cattle. He was involved in many groups that helped farmers in Tumbes. For example, he was a member of the Tumbes Livestock Fund. He also led associations for banana producers and fruit traders. He worked to help farmers with their debts to the government and private banks.
Political Career
Manuel Merino has had a long career in Peruvian politics. He has been a member of Congress multiple times and held important leadership roles.
Serving in Congress
In 2000, Merino led a group of political parties and movements called the National Unity Front. The Popular Action party chose him to run for a seat in the Congress in the 2001 election. He won with the most votes in Tumbes and served from 2001 to 2006.
He ran for Congress again in 2011 and was elected for the Tumbes area. This time, he was part of the Possible Peru Electoral Alliance. From 2011 to 2012, Merino was the First Vice President of the Congress. He also led the Housing Committee from 2012 to 2013. He was a spokesperson for his party's group in Congress.
President of Congress
In the 2020 election, Merino was elected to Congress for a third time. Because he was the most experienced member of his party in Congress, he was chosen to be the President of Congress on 16 March 2020. He received many votes in favor.
Efforts to Remove President Vizcarra
As President of Congress, Merino was involved in efforts to remove President Martín Vizcarra. In September 2020, Congress started a process to remove Vizcarra for "permanent moral incapacity." This means they believed he was not fit to be president. Merino was criticized for how quickly he pushed for this removal. If Vizcarra was removed, Merino would become president because there were no vice presidents.
Reports came out that Merino had contacted military officials to get their support. He also tried to talk to other government officials to prepare for taking over the presidency. After these reports, some members of Congress changed their minds about removing Vizcarra. On 18 September, Congress voted, and the effort to remove Vizcarra failed.
However, in October 2020, a second attempt to remove President Vizcarra began. This time, new information was presented against Vizcarra. On 9 November 2020, Congress voted again. This time, 105 members voted to remove Vizcarra, and he was officially removed from office.
Because he was the President of Congress and there were no vice presidents, Manuel Merino became the new president of Peru. This decision led to many protests across the country.
Presidency (2020)
Manuel Merino became president on 10 November 2020, while protests were happening. The next day, he chose Ántero Flores Aráoz to be his Prime Minister. The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, expressed concern about the situation.
Merino said he supported the elections planned for April 2021. He also spoke about helping Peru recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping law and order. However, the protests continued. On 14 November, two protesters died during demonstrations, and many of Merino's ministers resigned.
Resignation
On 15 November 2020, Manuel Merino resigned as president. He stated that he had acted within the law when he took office. He also said he would do everything to make sure the next president was chosen correctly.
After Merino resigned, the new government led by Francisco Sagasti announced that the attorney general would investigate if Merino was responsible for any human rights issues during the protests.
Images for kids
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Merino in 2020
See also
In Spanish: Manuel Merino para niños
