Crisis in Peru: A key Super Tuesday with an eye on Congress for election progress

Peru experiences its “super Tuesday” due to the wait, the tension, the negotiation and also the international pressure for the 130 deputies of the unicameral parliament to approve the progress of the general elections for 2023. a country that has at least 21 dead from protests and violent police repression.

President Dina Bolartewho almost two weeks ago ceased to be vice president to replace the former president Peter Castillowho attempted to carry out a self-coup and ended up ousted by Congress and sentenced to 18 months in pretrial detention, has sent the plan to cut the mandate and bring forward the elections to December 2023.

The session of the Congress is set for 10 in the morning (12 in Argentina). The streets surrounding the parliament they are armored with the police and the tension grows because in the previous one everything indicates that both the Peruvian right and left do not seem to give in to their demands and it may be blocked again the advance of the elections.

Four days ago, the measure that required 87 votes in two rounds or 66 votes that then had to be ratified by referendum failed to reach either alternative. It collected 49 votes in favour, 33 against and 25 abstentions. This infuriated Boluarte, who lashed out at a press conference hours later.

“Don’t Make Excuses”

“Don’t look for excuses not to bring the election forward. Don’t abstain from voting, vote directly in the interest of the country, don’t hide behind an abstention, it’s either black or white, half measures don’t solve the country’s problems,” Boluarte said in a peevish tone.

The president, who has none of her deputies in parliament, also blamed lawmakers he wants to remain on the bench until July 2026.

In Peru there are no midterm elections and every five years the citizens elect the president, the vice president and the 130 deputies. Holding elections to choose a president also implies the renewal of 130 legislators.

Keys to Conflict

A sector of the right is calling for elections for April 2024, as Boluarte was the first to propose. On the contrary, the more radical left has asked for elections in 2023 and when it anticipated the project in December it began to ask Conventional Constituent Assembly make a new constitution, which is impossible in the current climate of confrontation in Peru.

For this Tuesday’s session, in fact, there is a minority project from Peru Libre, the party that brought Castillo and also Boluarte to power, to convene the Constituent Assembly.

Saturday newspaper The Republicreleased a survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies indicating this 83% of those questioned want an advance for the elections. Beyond the popular clamor for early elections, there has also been international pressure.

The general secretary of the UN, Antonio Guterreshe said on Monday that the progress of the general elections “can be an important factor in restoring social peace to the country. We are following the situation in Peru with great concern and believe that it is absolutely necessary that there is a dialogue between all political forces and forces society of the country”

End of curfew in one region

A few hours after the bloodiest day of the protests by Pedro Castillo’s defenders over the 8 dead in Ayacucho, a product of police repression, last Friday the government of Dina Boluarte imposed a curfew in 15 provinces for five days.

The provision, which starts at 18:00, in others at 19:00, and also at 20:00 and is in force until 4:00 in the morning and involves the total limitation of travel, with the exception of some professions such as health , was prematurely revoked in the province of Virú, in the department of La Libertad, and in Cangallo and Huamanga, in the region of Ayacucho.

The curfew is maintained in Chincheros and Andahuaylas, by Apurímac; Espinar, Chumbivilcas, La Convención and Cusco, of Cusco; Carabaya and San Roman, in Puno; Tayacaja and Angaraes, in Huancavelica and Pisco and Ica, in Ica.

Lima, special envoy

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