Martín Vizcarra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Martín Vizcarra OSP CYC GColIH
Vizcarra in 2018
60th President of Peru
In office 23 March 2018 – 9 November 2020
Prime Minister	Mercedes Aráoz César Villanueva Salvador del Solar Vicente Zeballos Pedro Cateriano Walter Martos
Vice President	First Vice President Vacant Second Vice President Mercedes Aráoz (2018 – May 2020) Vacant (May – November 2020)
Preceded by	Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
Succeeded by	Manuel Merino
President pro tempore of the Pacific Alliance
In office 24 July 2018 – 6 July 2019
Preceded by	Juan Manuel Santos
Succeeded by	Sebastián Piñera
First Vice President of Peru
In office 28 July 2016 – 23 March 2018
President	Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
Preceded by	Marisol Espinoza
Succeeded by	Dina Boluarte (2021)
Ambassador of Peru to Canada
In office 18 October 2017 – 23 March 2018
Preceded by	Marcela López Bravo
Succeeded by	Carlos Gil de Montes Molinari
Minister of Transport and Communications
In office 28 July 2016 – 22 May 2017
President	Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
Prime Minister	Fernando Zavala
Preceded by	José Gallardo Ku
Succeeded by	Bruno Giuffra
3rd Governor of Moquegua
In office 1 January 2011 – 31 December 2014
Lieutenant	Tomás Portilla Alarcón
Preceded by	Jaime Rodríguez Villanueva
Succeeded by	Jaime Rodríguez Villanueva
Member of Congress
In office Never sworn-in
Succeeded by	José Enrique Jeri Ore
Constituency	Lima
Personal details
Born	Martín Alberto Vizcarra Cornejo (1963-03-22) 22 March 1963 (age 62) Lima, Peru
Political party	Peru First (2021–present)
Other political affiliations	Independent (2006–2021) We Are Peru (2020–2021 / non-affiliated) Peruvians for Change (2016–2018 / non-affiliated) Regional Integration for You (2010–2015) Peruvian Aprista Party (2006 / non-affiliated)
Spouse	Maribel Díaz Cabello
Children	4
Alma mater	National University of Engineering (B.S.)
Signature

Martín Alberto Vizcarra Cornejo (born 22 March 1963) is a Peruvian engineer and politician. He served as the President of Peru from 2018 to 2020. Before becoming president, Vizcarra held several important roles. He was the Governor of the Department of Moquegua from 2011 to 2014. He also served as the First Vice President of Peru from 2016 to 2018. During this time, he was also the Minister of Transport and Communications (2016–2017) and the Ambassador of Peru to Canada (2017–2018). These last three roles were during the presidency of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

In the 2016 Peruvian general election, Vizcarra ran as the first vice president alongside Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. They won the election. On 23 March 2018, Vizcarra became President of Peru after President Kuczynski resigned. During his time as president, Vizcarra focused on fighting corruption in the government. He promised not to run for president again when his term ended in 2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, Vizcarra ordered people to stay home and provided money to help. However, Peru was still greatly affected by the pandemic. The country's economy dropped a lot, which put more pressure on Vizcarra's government.

In September 2019, Vizcarra dissolved the Peruvian Congress. He said they were not cooperating with his plans. This led to a political crisis. A new election for Congress was held in January 2020. In November 2020, the Peruvian Congress removed Vizcarra from office. They said he was "morally incompetent." This led to large protests in the streets. Many Peruvians felt this removal was unfair.

In April 2021, Vizcarra was banned from holding public office for 10 years. This happened after he was accused of getting a COVID-19 vaccine before it was available to the public.

Early Life

Vizcarra was born in Lima, Peru. His father, César Vizcarra Vargas, was a politician and his mother, Doris Cornejo, was a teacher. His father was once the mayor of Moquegua. Vizcarra's family lived in Moquegua, but they moved to Lima because of a health issue Vizcarra had when he was born. Vizcarra has said that his father greatly influenced his life.

Education

Vizcarra went to school in Moquegua. He later studied at the National University of Engineering in Lima and graduated in 1984. He also earned a degree in Management Administration from ESAN Graduate School of Business.

Political Career

Starting in Politics

Vizcarra's political journey began in his home region of Moquegua. In 2006, he ran for governor but did not win. In 2008, Vizcarra led protests in Moquegua about unfair mining payments. He helped solve the problem by talking to government leaders in Lima. This event encouraged him to continue in politics.

Governor of Moquegua

Vizcarra was elected Governor of Moquegua in 2010. He served from 2011 to 2014. During his time as governor, life for people in Moquegua improved. He also helped solve another mining conflict between a company and local residents. He was known for avoiding corruption, which was rare in Peru.

Vice-Presidency (2016–2018)

Vizcarra became the First Vice President of Peru in the 2016 Peruvian general election. He ran with Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Soon after, he also became the Minister of Transportation and Communications.

Minister of Transportation and Communications (2016–2017)

As Minister, Vizcarra worked for about one year. He was in charge of managing the crisis during a series of floods that hit Peru in late 2016 and early 2017.

He faced problems with a project to build the Chinchero International Airport in Cusco. There were claims of bribery. Vizcarra canceled many contracts until an investigation was done. After facing complaints and giving many hours of testimony, he resigned from his position.

Ambassador to Canada (2017–2018)

After resigning as minister, Vizcarra became the Peruvian Ambassador to Canada. He stayed out of the public eye until he returned to Peru during a political challenge against President Kuczynski.

Presidency (2018–2020)

Vizcarra became President of Peru on 23 March 2018, after President Kuczynski resigned. When he took office, Vizcarra promised to fight against corruption in Peru.

Climate Change Efforts

On 17 April 2018, President Vizcarra signed a new law for climate change. This law gave more money to the Ministry of the Environment to fight climate change. It also helped different government groups work together on climate issues. Peru became the first country in South America to have such a climate law. Vizcarra said that Peru had to work to create a better environment for future generations.

Fighting Corruption

2018 Referendum

After many corruption scandals in the Peruvian government, President Vizcarra called for a national vote on 28 July 2018. This vote, called a referendum, aimed to stop private money from funding political campaigns. It also wanted to prevent lawmakers from being re-elected and to create a second legislative chamber.

Many Peruvians supported Vizcarra's efforts to clean up the government. On 9 December 2018, Peruvians voted and approved three out of four of Vizcarra's proposals. They only rejected the idea of a two-chamber congress after some politicians tried to change the proposal.

Dissolving Congress

The Constitution of Peru allows the president to dissolve Congress if they give a "no-confidence" vote twice. In 2017, Congress had already given a no-confidence vote to the previous president's cabinet. Vizcarra wanted Congress to pass laws against corruption and to hold early elections. For four months, Congress delayed these bills.

On 30 September 2019, Congress appointed a new member to the Constitutional Court without considering Vizcarra's reform ideas. Vizcarra said this was the second "no-confidence" action against his government. He then decided to dissolve Congress that same day. He said, "Peruvian people, we have done all we could."

After Vizcarra dissolved Congress, some members of Congress tried to suspend him and name the vice president as the new president. However, Peruvian government officials said these actions were not valid. That night, many Peruvians protested against Congress. The leaders of the Peruvian Armed Forces also met with Vizcarra and confirmed they still recognized him as president.

In January 2020, Peru's Constitutional Court supported Vizcarra's actions. A new election for Congress was held on 26 January 2020. The new Congress had many different parties, and some were still against Vizcarra.

COVID-19 Pandemic

During Vizcarra's presidency, Peru faced a severe COVID-19 pandemic. Peru had one of the highest numbers of cases in Latin America. Many experts said this was partly because of how people lived. Many Peruvians lived in crowded homes or had jobs that required them to work daily. Also, many people did not have refrigerators, so they had to go to markets often.

Vizcarra's government responded by starting a nationwide lockdown on 15 March 2020. Most businesses were closed. Peru's economy dropped a lot because of these measures. The government approved a large amount of money to help businesses and people.

Impeachment Attempts

Vizcarra faced two attempts to remove him from office. These attempts were partly led by a political party whose leader was in prison.

First Impeachment (September 2020)

As Peru's economy struggled during the pandemic, Vizcarra faced more pressure from Congress. In September 2020, audio recordings were released. These recordings seemed to suggest that Vizcarra had acted improperly regarding a contract for a singer.

Congress quickly started a process to remove Vizcarra. Vizcarra said the recordings were "edited and maliciously manipulated." He said he would not resign. On 11 September 2020, Congress voted to start the impeachment process. However, after more debate, Congress voted against removing Vizcarra from office. They did not have enough votes to impeach him.

Second Impeachment (November 2020)

In a separate attempt, lawmakers accused Vizcarra of corruption and mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic. They also accused him of taking bribes when he was governor of Moquegua. On 9 November 2020, 105 members of Congress voted to remove Vizcarra from office. This was enough votes to impeach him. Vizcarra said the accusations were false but accepted the vote.

After his removal, thousands of citizens protested in the streets. Manuel Merino, who became president after Vizcarra, resigned after only six days in office due to the protests. Francisco Sagasti then became the new President of Peru.

After the Presidency (2020–Present)

Running for Congress

On 27 November 2020, Vizcarra announced he would run for a seat in Congress in the 2021 Peruvian congressional election. He joined the We Are Peru party. If elected, he would gain protection from some investigations. Vizcarra said he wanted to reform the idea of parliamentary protection. He won the election, but was later banned from holding public office.

Vaccine Controversy

In February 2021, a scandal called "Vacunagate" happened. It was revealed that Vizcarra, his family, and friends received the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in October 2020. This happened before the vaccine was available to the public in Peru. This caused a lot of controversy. On 16 April 2021, the Congress of Peru voted to ban Vizcarra from public office for ten years. They found him guilty of using his influence improperly and making false statements.

Investigation for Corruption

On 12 March 2021, a prosecutor asked for Vizcarra to be held in jail while he was investigated for corruption. This was related to claims of bribery during his time as governor. A judge rejected this request, but Vizcarra was given restrictions. On 18 March 2024, police searched Vizcarra's home as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption during his time as president.

Public Opinion

When Vizcarra first became president, some people protested. However, polls showed that his approval rating was 57% in April 2018. After he called for a referendum to fight corruption, his approval rating reached 66% in December 2018.

In 2019, his approval rating dropped slightly. But after he dissolved Congress in September 2019, his approval rating jumped to 75% or even 85.1% in some polls. Many Peruvians supported his decision.

During the early months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Vizcarra's approval ratings went up again, reaching 87% in March 2020.

Public Opinion on His Removal

In November 2020, after Vizcarra was removed from office, a poll showed that 88% of Peruvians did not approve of his removal. Only 11% approved. Before his removal, 54% of Peruvians approved of Vizcarra. In contrast, Congress had a 60% disapproval rating. When Manuel Merino became president after Vizcarra's removal, 94% of Peruvians disapproved of Merino's presidency.

Political Ideas

Vizcarra is often described as a centrist politician. He says his political beliefs come from his father, who taught him to care about social issues. People who support him often say he is good at bringing people together and solving difficult problems. Some political parties on the left side of politics praised his efforts to fight corruption and dissolve Congress.

Honours

Vizcarra receiving the Keys to the City of Madrid next to Manuela Carmena

Awards and orders	Country	Date	Notes
Grand Master of the Order of the Sun of Peru	Peru	23 March 2018
Grand Master of the Order of Merit for Distinguished Service	Peru	23 March 2018
Grand Collar National Order of Merit	Ecuador	25 October 2018
Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry	Portugal	25 February 2019
Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic	Spain	22 February 2019
Keys to the City of Madrid	Spain	27 February 2019

Electoral History

See also

In Spanish: Martín Vizcarra para niños