Peruvians vote in referendum on fighting graft

LIMA, Dec 09 (AP): Peruvians voted on Sunday in a referendum aimed at curbing corruption as the South American nation tries to put an end to a scourge that has landed lawmakers, judges and even former presidents behind bars.

The four questions on the ballot include measures that would prohibit legislators from immediate reelection, create stricter campaign finance rules and reform a scandal-tainted council charged with selecting judges.

All but one of the proposed measures is expected to pass in a nation where trust in elected officials is abysmally low. Yet analysts caution that the referendum isn't an end-all fix to reverse decades of deeply entrenched political misconduct.

"What this referendum is potentially giving the government and maybe even the political system is a little breathing room," said Steve Levitsky, a Harvard University political scientist. "A little burst of confidence and public trust that it can potentially use to get up and running."

In recent years Peru has been jolted by the Odebrecht corruption scandal toppling the careers of some of Latin America's highest-ranking politicians.

The Brazilian construction company has admitted to paying $800 million to officials throughout the region in exchange for lucrative public works contracts.

In Peru, the scandal has tainted the careers of nearly every former living president, with four ex-heads of state under probe for ties to Odebrecht.

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned in March after opposition lawmakers revealed previously undisclosed ties between Odebrecht and his private consulting firm.