Lady Camones

Lady Mercedes Camones Soriano (Chimbote, born February 20, 1975) is a Peruvian lawyer and politician. She was elected Congresswoman of the Republic for the period 2021-2026.

Biography
She was born in Chimbote on February 20, 1975. She studied at the Antenor Orrego Private University (UPAO), where she obtained a bachelor's degree in law. She also studied a master's degree in public administration at the César Vallejo University, although she left it unfinished.

She was regional head of National Registry of Identification and Civil Status from 2003 to 2018.

Candidate for the Presidency of Áncash in 2018
Her political career began in the 2018 regional and municipal elections where she ran for the Regional Governorship of Áncash with Popular Force. However, she was not elected.

Congresswoman (2021-2026)
In the general elections of 2021, she was elected to the Peruvian Congress for Áncash with Alliance for Progress. She garnered 6203 votes for the parliamentary period 2021-2026.

On July 26, 2021, Camones was elected first vice president of Congress under the presidency of María del Carmen Alva for the legislative period 2021-2022.

One year later, after a series of parliamentary deals among the opposition caucuses, Camones was elected President of Congress, on July 26, 2022.

On September 2, 2022, illegal audio recordings between Camones and her party leader, César Acuña, discussing on bills favoring the latter's 2022 governorship run, were revealed by the press. Facing public outcry, Camones was censured and removed as President of Congress by the Peruvian Congress on September 5, 2022 by a vote of 61-47 and 5 abstentions.