00:01Protesters gathered outside Peru's Congress on Wednesday to oppose President Keiko Fujimori's
00:08request for expanded legislative powers as police deployed pepper spray to disperse crowds.
00:15The demonstrators, many of them state workers, said Fujimori's proposal would let her bypass
00:20Congress and legislate by decree on labor and economic matters affecting public sector
00:26employment rights. Police pushed back demonstrators using pepper spray, as some refused to disperse.
00:33Fujimori submitted the powers' request to Congress more than a month ago, seeking authorization
00:39to legislate on 66 matters related to security, economic reform, and labor issues for 120 days.
00:48On Tuesday, while inspecting flood prevention works in the southern city of Ica, Fujimori
00:54defended the proposal, saying she would use the powers to combat organized crime.
00:59The Constitutional Commission in Congress is debating whether to approve, reject, or archive
01:05the request.
