Juntos por el Perú Reverses Nomination for Ethics Commission After Backlash

Peru’s Juntos por el Perú parliamentary group abruptly reversed its candidate for the Congressional Ethics Commission on Wednesday, swapping out lawmaker César Tito Rojas for Jessica Pérez Quispe after a cascade of criticism over Rojas’s political and judicial history. The move came just hours after the party had briefly named Azucena Isla as a possible replacement, only to withdraw that proposal and settle on Pérez Quispe during a pre-plenary caucus meeting. The commission’s membership was formally approved in the Chamber of Deputies later that day.

The initial nomination of Tito Rojas had drawn immediate fire. Intelligence reports from the counter-terrorism directorate (Dircote) indicate that between 2000 and 2004 he visited inmates convicted of terrorism at the Yanamayo prison in Puno. He later served as president of the electoral committee of Movadef, an organization widely regarded as the political arm of Sendero Luminoso. Separate judicial records show that in 2016 he was sentenced for psychological violence against his sister during a land dispute — a conviction he omitted from his candidate filing, leading to a fine of over S/22,000 from the National Elections Board. Prosecutors are also investigating him for allegedly helping direct violent protests that broke out against the Boluarte government in late 2022 and early 2023, including the torching of a toll booth in Ilave.

Senate President Miguel Torres, of the rival Fuerza Popular party, had publicly urged Juntos por el Perú to reconsider, insisting that members of the Ethics Commission must be “unblemished” and free of any questioning. The party’s caucus spokesperson, Ernesto Zunini, initially defended Tito Rojas, stating there was no legal impediment to his appointment and rejecting what he called a press-driven labeling effort. However, after an internal meeting, the caucus opted to replace him.

The newly configured Ethics Commission will now include Jessica Pérez Quispe as the party’s representative. One of its first tasks will be to examine a complaint of alleged aggression against deputy Julián Pérez Mallqui — also from Juntos por el Perú — adding an immediate layer of scrutiny to the commission’s independence and the party’s internal cohesion.

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Why the Backlash Forced a Reversal — and What’s at Stake for Peru’s Congressional Oversight

The Unraveling of an Unfit Nomination

The reversal underscores how quickly an ethically vulnerable appointment can collapse when key institutional voices — in this case the Senate President — join a chorus of public and media criticism. Torres’s call for “intachable” members set a de facto standard that made it politically untenable for Juntos por el Perú to maintain Tito Rojas, regardless of his legal eligibility. The episode demonstrates that in Peru’s fragmented Congress, even a single chamber’s leadership can enforce reputational guardrails on committee assignments.

Juntos por el Perú’s Internal Indecision

The whiplash — from Tito Rojas to a rumored Isla candidacy, then to Pérez Quispe — points to deep divisions within the caucus. Spokesperson Zunini’s initial defense of Tito Rojas suggests a faction comfortable with his profile, while the rapid reversal hints at pressure from more moderate elements who recognized the risk of a prolonged fight. The final choice of Pérez Quispe, a less polarizing figure, appears to be a compromise that salvages the party’s representation without carrying the same liability.

Immediate Consequences for Congressional Oversight

The Ethics Commission now begins with a politically charged case: the alleged aggression by Juntos por el Perú’s own deputy Julián Pérez Mallqui. With the commission’s credibility under a microscope due to the nomination fiasco, any perception of leniency toward a fellow party member will be magnified. Conversely, a harsh stance could further strain the caucus’s unity. The Senate President’s intervention also signals that oversight bodies will face greater cross-party scrutiny from the outset.

Broader Political Fallout

The affair reveals persistent weaknesses in the vetting of lawmakers for sensitive posts. Tito Rojas’s undisclosed conviction and Movadef ties were well-documented, yet he was initially put forward — suggesting either a disregard for ethical standards or a deliberate test of institutional tolerance. The episode may embolden civil society and opposition groups to demand stricter background checks for all committee assignments, potentially raising the bar for future appointments across the political spectrum.

What This Means for Political Accountability in Peru

  • The Ethics Commission will immediately take up the case against Julián Pérez Mallqui (Juntos por el Perú) for alleged aggression. Jessica Pérez Quispe’s conduct on that case will be a bellwether for the party’s commitment to unbiased oversight.
  • Political parties face heightened scrutiny in committee nominations; future candidates with any history of undisclosed convictions or links to pro-terrorism groups will likely be challenged more aggressively, both by rivals and by congressional leadership.
  • Observers should track whether the Senate President’s precedent of publicly demanding “unblemished” members leads to a more formalized vetting process in Congress’s internal rules.
  • The internal rift within Juntos por el Perú risks resurfacing if Pérez Quispe’s votes on ethics matters split the caucus, potentially weakening the party’s bargaining power on other legislation.