Overview
- Diana Gonzales Delgado (Avanza País) filed initiative No. 13835/2025-CR to modify Article 19 of the Congress Rules so convictions for illegal mining trigger the “empty chair” penalty.
- The sanction would remove the seat of any convicted deputy or senator without replacement by an alternate from the same party.
- The change is drafted for the bicameral Parliament taking office in July 2026 under Legislative Resolution No. 004-2025-2026-CR.
- Current “empty chair” rules apply only after final convictions for drug trafficking, terrorism, human trafficking, or related money laundering.
- The proposal cites IPE data on 30,846 hectares of Amazon deforestation since 2021, projections of 105–115 tonnes of illegal gold exports in 2025 worth up to US$12 billion, and Ipsos polling showing broad public concern about criminal influence in politics.