Peru govt seeks legislative powers to tackle security crisis

LIMA: Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori asked Congress to grant the government 120 days of legislative powers to pass laws aimed at addressing security concerns. Peru is going through its worst security crisis in decades, fuelled by the spread of local and foreign criminal gangs that oversee contract killings and extortion.

Fujimori submitted an "urgent" request to Congress to give the government "the power to legislate on matters of citizen security" and other areas including trade and tourism. One of the first measures proposed by Fujimori is the designation of "criminal organisations as terrorist organisations," according to the request sent to Congress.

The request has to be approved by both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Fujimori, who took office on July 28, is the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, who was jailed for corruption and crimes against humanity committed during what he considered a fight against terrorism. She campaigned on iron-fist security policies like those of her father, whose legacy remains divisive among Peruvians. Her inauguration speech detailed plans to deploy the army to areas where extortion, drug trafficking and illegal mining are rife.