LIMA, Peru (AP) " Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has defied ardent calls by opposition lawmakers demanding his impeachment over ties to the Brazilian construction giant implicated in Latin America's biggest corruption scandal.

His allies hailed a late Thursday night vote as a triumph for the nation's democracy.

Legislators came eight votes short of impeaching the president following a half-day of impassioned debate in the chamber where the 79-year-old former Wall Street banker himself delivered a forceful defense. Applause erupted inside Congress and his supporters cheered and waved Peruvian flags outside as it became clear Kuczynski would remain president.

Kuczynski tweeted: "Tomorrow a new chapter in our history begins: the reconciliation and reconstruction of our country."