Former congresswoman Yeni VIlcatoma, now running for the national congress for the National Solidarity Party, started a debate on Friday morning by suggesting that congressmen «do not necessarily have to be a professional» and may even «not know how to read or write.» Along with his comments, the other adversaries such as Rocío Silva Santisteban, Pepi Patron, and Diana Ricalde, exchanged ideas regarding the requirements they want to be candidates for the congress of the republic.
Vilcatoma said that the educational level does not matter since it must be respected by the people it represents. “I want to say something and this has been taught by experience. The congressman does not necessarily have to be a professional, he can be a representative of his people, he may not know how to read or write, (but) you have to respect him because he represents a group of people”, she said.
Regarding his comment, the applicant Diana Ricalde, from Peru Nation said she was against former Congressman Vilcatoma and said that parliamentarians should have a professional level so that they have a criterion to legislate
Ricalde stressed not agreeing with the former congresswoman. “I disagree with that because I believe that, indeed, if we want a representation of the people, anyone can be a congressman, says our Constitution; but it seems to me that they must have a profession so that they have criteria to be able to legislate and nobody can deceive them», she said.
Santisteban, for his part, supported Vilcatoma’s argument by saying that in the history of the world it has not been necessary to be professional to serve the country in a correct way. «Many good congressmen who have been workers. It is not necessary that they have been professionals, but that they know, manage and represent well the interests to which they are due ”, he mentioned.
Requirements
According to the constitution, the only conditions to be a candidate for the Congress of the Republic are:
-Be a Peruvian by birth.
-Have turned twenty-five (25) years.
-Enjoy the right to vote.
-Be registered in the National Registry of Identification and Civil Status.