| Lady Camones | |
| Office1: | Member of Congress |
| Term Start1: | 26 July 2021 |
| Constituency1: | Áncash |
| Office2: | President of Congress |
| Termstart2: | 26 July 2022 |
| Termend2: | 5 September 2022 |
| Predecessor2: | Maricarmen Alva |
| Successor2: | Martha Moyano (acting) |
| Vicepresident2: | 1st Vice President Martha Moyano 2nd Vice President Digna Calle 3rd Vice President Wilmar Elera Alejandro Muñante |
| Office3: | First Vice President of Congress |
| Term Start3: | 26 July 2021 |
| Term End3: | 26 July 2022 |
| President3: | Maricarmen Alva |
| Predecessor3: | Mirtha Vásquez |
| Successor3: | Martha Moyano |
| Birth Name: | Lady Mercedes Camones Soriano |
| Birth Date: | 20 February 1975 |
| Birth Place: | Chimbote, Áncash, Peru |
| Party: | Alliance for Progress |
| Education: | Antenor Orrego Private University (LLB) César Vallejo University |
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.[1]
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.[2]
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.[2]
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.[1] [3]
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.[4]
One year later, after a series of parliamentary deals among the opposition caucuses, Camones was elected President of Congress, on July 26, 2022.[5]
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.[6] 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.[7]