[4] He initially faced opposition from the Fujimorist congress when pushing for the constitutional referendum in 2018, an election that resulted with laws prohibiting the private funding of political campaigns and a ban on reelecting lawmakers.

[10] Analysts Diego Pereira and Lucila Barbeito of JPMorgan Chase & Co described the new congress as being "even more antagonistic to the [Vizcarra] government than the previous one"[11] while Americas Quarterly wrote that the four main right-wing parties of congress – Alliance for Progress, Podemos Perú, Popular Action and Union for Peru – feared Vizcarra's anti-corruption measures on campaign financing, political transparency and the participation of convicted persons in government.

[13] Since early 2020, investigations began surrounding a contract for a little-known singer by the name of Richard Cisneros to perform speeches for the Ministry of Culture.

I am not running away" and that the "audios have been edited and maliciously manipulated; as you can see, they purposely seek to turn a job-related claim into a criminal or political act, wanting to take words out of context and intend to accuse me of non-existent situations.

[a][4] On 12 September 2020, renowned reporter Gustavo Gorriti wrote that Merino had contacted the Commanding General of the Peruvian Navy, Fernando Cerdán, notifying him that he was going to attempt to impeach Vizcarra and was hoping to assume the presidency.

"[28] Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Lopez also released a statement that Vizcarra's government had prepared to call upon the Organization of American States' Inter-American Democratic Charter if Vizcarra were to be impeached, with the charter stating "when the government of a member state considers that its democratic political institutional process or its legitimate exercise of power is at risk, it may request assistance from the Secretary General or the Permanent Council for the strengthening and preservation of its democratic system".

[30][31] In a joint statement released through the Andean Community, presidents Jeanine Áñez of Bolivia, Iván Duque Márquez of Colombia and Lenín Moreno of Ecuador shared "deep concern about the events that take place in Peru, threatening its stability and governance," called for the avoidance of "actions that may jeopardize the legitimate exercise of power and the democratic institutional political process" and urged for "a prompt solution to this situation, based on dialogue, within the framework of the current constitutional order and in strict adherence to the balance of powers".