Toe-tally out of line: Peru MP’s office pedicure sparks outrage

Peru's much-maligned political class has been plunged into fresh scandal after a photo emerged of a congresswoman having her toenails cut by an aide while reclining on the sofa in her office.

The image of Lucinda Vasquez, 67, from a minor left-wing party, being pampered while talking on her cellphone in Parliament caused shock in a country reeling from an extortion epidemic.

It comes after weeks of youth-led protests against a political class seen as corrupt and ineffective that left one dead and more than a hundred injured.

The photo was taken on November 6, 2024, but was only published by an investigative TV show last month, on America Television channel and quickly went viral.

"It is a disgrace... that a person is being used, in an abuse of position and power, for matters that have nothing to do with their duties," Elvis Vergara, president of the Congressional Ethics Committee, said.

The congresswoman faces a temporary suspension.

Vergara said the case would be reviewed next week by the ethics committee.

In a statement, Vasquez said the picture had been taken out of context and denied any attempt to "coerce and humiliate" her staffer.

She attributed the release of the photo to a revenge campaign by former staff members.

The incident has compounded the anger of Peruvians over the failure of their leaders to end a wave of racketeering by criminal gangs that has terrorized the country.

On October 10, Congress impeached then president Dina Boluarte over the security crisis.

She was replaced by Parliament speaker Jose Jeri.

Before Boluarte's removal, Congress had a disapproval rating of 95 percent, according to an Ipsos poll.

Since her departure, it has regained some support but still remains deeply unpopular.

"It's unpleasant, even humiliating... And it effectively deepens the record levels of disrepute that Congress has reached," Fernando Tuesta, a political scientist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, told AFP.