Peru’s president, Dina Boluarte, announced earlier this Monday (12) that she will submit a bill to Parliament to delay elections to April 2024, following demonstrations that killed two people in several cities across the country.
“By interpreting the will of the citizens (…) I have decided to take the initiative to reach an agreement with the Congress of the Republic to advance the April 2024 general election,” Boluarte said in a message to the nation. It was shown on television in the first minutes on Monday.
The proposal includes a two-year reduction in the mandate and is intended to quell public anger, demanding immediate presidential and legislative elections.
Boluarte, who took office last Wednesday after the failed coup attempt by then-president Pedro Castillo, declared a state of emergency in parts of the country where violent protests were taking place.
With the same patriotic feeling, I announce the declaration of a state of emergency to peacefully take back control of domestic order in areas where social conflicts are high,” he said.
The new president grieved the deaths of two demonstrators in Andahuaylas during the police crackdown.
protests
Demonstrations escalated in many cities north and south of the Andes to demand the release of former left-wing president Pedro Castillo, who rejected Congress and was also impeached by Congress and has been in court-ordered detention for seven days since last Wednesday.
In the city of Andahuaylas in the south of the Andes, the Ministry of Interior said two people were killed and five injured, including a police officer, after heavy clashes as protesters attempted to storm the city’s airport.
Riot police were dispatched to the airport to suppress thousands of demonstrators in Andahuaylas, Boluarte’s hometown of Apurimac region.
According to RPP radio, the police station in Huancabamba, a town in the Apurímac region, was set on fire.
Clashes in Andahuaylas on Saturday ended with 16 civilians and four police officers injured.
Thousands of people protested in the streets of Cajamarca, Arequipa, Tacna, Andahuaylas, Huancayo, Cusco and Puno.
“Indefinite Strike”
Meanwhile, rural unions and organizations representing indigenous peoples have called for an “indefinite strike” from Tuesday in support of Castillo, who comes from a peasant family.
They are demanding the suspension of Congress, holding early elections and a new constitution, as well as the immediate release of Castillo, according to a statement from the Peruvian Agricultural and Rural Front, which brings together about a dozen organizations.
The Rural Front claims that Castillo “did not carry out a coup d’état” when he announced the suspension of Congress on Wednesday and said he would lead by decree that led to his removal by Parliament and the inauguration of the former vice president. boluarte
In Lima, police dispersed a demonstration in support of Castillo near Congress with tear gas on Sunday afternoon.
The country’s capital has always rejected Castillo, a rural teacher and union leader who had no contact with Peru’s elite, while Andean regions have supported the left since the 2021 election.
Congress, dominated by the right, suspended a session on Sunday afternoon to analyze the country’s situation after a fight between two lawmakers.
Castillo was stopped by his own security team on his way to the Mexican embassy to seek political asylum. The Public Ministry accuses him of rioting and conspiracy. He’s already being investigated for corruption.
Boluarte on Saturday formed an independent and technically profiled government with former prosecutor Pedro Angulo as prime minister.
Is he drugged?
At the same time, controversy is growing over the version that a former chief of staff and Castillo’s lawyer had doped when he read the message declaring the former president’s failed coup attempt.
In a letter he allegedly wrote in prison, Castillo alleges that a “disguised” doctor and nurses and a “faceless” (hooded) prosecutor “forced” him to take blood tests on Friday and Saturday, but refused because he feared for your safety. .
Francisco Brizuela, head of the Legal Medical Institute, stated that “there can’t be an appraisal (to find out if medication has been given)”.
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.