WikiPeru • The Encyclopedia of Peru
Martín Vizcarra is a Peruvian civil engineer and politician who served as the president of Peru from 2018 to 2020. Born on March 22, 1963, in Lima, he grew up in the southern city of Moquegua, where he developed a strong connection to his home region. Vizcarra studied civil engineering at the National University of Engineering in Lima and worked for several years in the private sector as a contractor and construction consultant.
Vizcarra’s early political career began in the 1990s, but it was in 2010 that he truly emerged on the national stage when he was elected regional governor of Moquegua. He became known for his economic and social reforms, as well as his transparent management of the local government. Under his leadership, Moquegua achieved one of the highest Human Development Indexes in the country. This success earned him a reputation as an honest politician focused on regional development.
In 2016, Vizcarra was appointed Minister of Transport and Communications under President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK), and he later became vice president after Kuczynski’s presidential victory. However, in March 2018, after Kuczynski resigned amid a corruption scandal involving alleged ties to the Brazilian company Odebrecht, Vizcarra was called to assume the presidency.
From the start of his presidency, Vizcarra focused on combating corruption, a longstanding issue in Peruvian politics and economics. He proposed major reforms aimed at cleaning up the judiciary and increasing transparency in political party financing. In 2019, he made the bold decision to dissolve Congress after months of confrontation with legislators who opposed his reforms. This move bolstered his popularity among a public frustrated with corruption and legislative gridlock, but it also heightened political tensions.
Vizcarra managed to maintain a public image of integrity and determination in the fight against corruption. However, his presidency was marred by a series of political scandals and accusations against him. In 2020, as Peru was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vizcarra faced allegations of corruption related to public contracts signed during his time as governor of Moquegua. Although he denied the charges, they undermined his political standing.
In October 2020, the Peruvian Congress launched an impeachment process against Vizcarra for "permanent moral incapacity," but he survived the attempt. However, just a month later, in November 2020, a second impeachment motion was approved, leading to his removal from office. This decision sparked a major political crisis in Peru, with mass protests across the country, as many people viewed Vizcarra as the victim of a political conspiracy orchestrated by Congress.
Despite his controversial ousting, Martín Vizcarra remains a significant figure in Peruvian politics. His fight against corruption and his commitment to reform defined his presidency, though scandals and conflicts with Congress marred his administration. Since leaving office, Vizcarra has remained active in the country’s political life, including running for Congress in 2021, though his involvement has been overshadowed by controversies related to the handling of the pandemic.