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Peru’s prime minister resigns ahead of congressional confirmation vote

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s prime minister resigned Tuesday ahead of a mandatory vote in the nation’s Congress, where she needed a majority of legislators to confirm her recent appointment.

Denisse Miralles was appointed as prime minister in late February, after Interim President José Jerí was removed from his post following corruption allegations and replaced by congressman Jose María Balcázar.

In Peru, prime ministers coordinate the implementation of government policies, but they are not elected into office and do not lead the executive branch, which is headed by the president.

Miralles, the former economy minister under Jerí, did not say why she resigned. However, she informed journalists that she was uncertain she could secure the congressional majority required for her confirmation on Wednesday.

The Fiscal Council, an independent body monitoring public finances, noted recently that the ministry under Miralles allowed 26 laws from Congress to pass without challenge, resulting in significantly higher government spending.

Peru is set to hold presidential elections on April 12, in which more than two dozen candidates will participate.

If no candidate gets more than 50% of the votes, there will be a runoff in June between the top two contenders.

Peru has seen eight presidents in the past decade, with several heads of state removed by Congress after corruption allegations. Despite the revolving door of presidents, Peru’s economy has been stable over the past decade, with governments sticking to orthodox economic policies that include modest fiscal spending, while international companies have been encouraged to invest in areas like mining and infrastructure.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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