Martín Vizcarra

Martín Vizcarra

Martín Alberto Vizcarra Cornejo OSP CYC GColIH is a Peruvian engineer and politician who served as President of Peru from 2018 to 2020. He previously served as Governor of the Moquegua Region, Minister of Transport and Communications of Peru, and Ambassador of Peru to Canada. He was impeached by the Peruvian Congress in November 2020, removing him from the presidency. His impeachment incited the 2020 Peruvian protests, as many Peruvians and political analysts believed the impeachment was unsubstantiated.

About Martín Vizcarra in brief

Summary Martín VizcarraMartín Alberto Vizcarra Cornejo OSP CYC GColIH (born 22 March 1963) is a Peruvian engineer and politician who served as President of Peru from 2018 to 2020. He previously served as Governor of the Moquegua Region, Minister of Transport and Communications of Peru, and Ambassador of Peru to Canada. In the 2016 general election, he ran as candidate for first vice president and as Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s running mate. He was impeached by the Peruvian Congress in November 2020, removing him from the presidency. In September 2020, the President of Congress and opposition leader, Manuel Merino, succeeded him as president of Peru the following day. His impeachment incited the 2020 Peruvian protests, as many Peruvians and political analysts believed the impeachment was unsubstantiated, with several Peruvian media outlets labeling the impeachment a \”coup\”. He has stated that his father had a lasting impact on his life, and that he will not run for president when his term ends in 2021. He has also played a major role in settling a dispute between Anglo American and residents concerned about potential drinking water contamination by a proposed copper mine. He also conciliated another mining company in settling the proposed mine dispute, also playing a key role in the construction of the Chinchero International Airport in Peru. He is the son of César Viz carra Vargas, who was an American Popular Revolutionary Alliance member, and Doris Corne jo, an elementary school teacher. He graduated from the National University of Engineering in Lima in 1984 while also earning a degree in Management Administration from the School of Business Administration.

He ran as an independent affiliated with the APRA party for the governorship in 2006, narrowly missing election. In 2011, he was elected to be Governor of MoquEGua. In 2014, he became the First Vice President of the Peruanos el Kambos Por Por. He served as Minister of Transportation and Communications for about one year. In 2015, he served as Ambassador to Canada, with both of the latter two during the presidency of Pedro PabloKuczynski. He led protests, known as \”Moqueguazo\”, surrounding unequal mining payments to the community. In 2008, he travelled to Lima to mediate the crisis, explaining the payment issue to thePeruvian Council of Ministers who agreed to make necessary changes to laws surrounding the issue. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, he instituted stay-at-home orders and issued relief funds, but existing inequality, overcrowding and a largely informal economy saw Peru being heavily affected by the pandemic. As a result, Peru’s gross domestic product declined thirty percent, increasing political pressure on Vizcara’s government. In 2016, VizcarRA was elected into office as governor until the end of the 2014 general election. He was also tasked with managing the crisis of floods in late 2016 and early 2017, which devastated much of Peru. Shortly after being elected he was tasked with serving as minister of transportation and communications.