Litmus test for the government of Peru: a massive mobilization against Dina Boluarte arrives in Lima

The government of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte will face a severe test this Thursday, when thousands of people will mobilize across the country, especially in Lima, to demand the resignation of a representative In whose management of five weeks there are already fifty dead in an unstoppable wave of protests.

Police and military deployed this Wednesday to prevent as much as possible the arrival of demonstrators in the capital, which it is estimated will become the epicenter of the protests which have so far developed above all in the south of the country, historically the most relegated region.

The General Confederation of Workers of Peru (CGTP), the main trade union organization in the country, has also called a general strike for January 19 to demand “the resignation of Dina Boluarte and the leaders of Parliament”.

The president, who is trying to stop the crisis, has asked the demonstrators to calm down and has resumed dialogue with the movements that are protesting in the streets after the ousting and arrest of former president Pedro Castillo, who on December 7 tried to carry out a coup by shutting down Congress.

“We know they want to take Lima for everything that is appearing on the networks. And I invite them to take Lima, yes, but in peace and quiet. I’ll wait for them at the Government Palace to discuss the social agendas they haveBoluarte said.

tight control

In anticipation of what will happen on Thursday, the Public Prosecutor and the Peruvian National Police (PNP) began this Wednesday to check the vehicles of the protesters who are entering Lima.

The main squares of the historic center of Lima they are manned by the State Police and community safety.

Together with the demonstrations towards the Peruvian capital, roadblocks and strikes continue in 8 regions of the country, where 94 transit points have been interrupted, involving 16 national highways, according to the latest report by the Superintendency of land transport of people, goods and Merci (Sutran).

Until now, 41 protesters and one police officer died in the protestsand eight other people lost their lives to various causes caused by roadblocks and demonstrations.

The head of state said on Tuesday that the roads will be blocked by the security forces and that he is waiting for the demonstrators who will arrive in Lima to speak about their social, but not political, demands.

Boluarte noted that the political agenda they propose “it is unattainable by the Executive‘, alluding that protesters are calling for his resignation and closure of Congress, as well as calling for general elections and a constituent assembly.

expectation and concern

Analysts agree that Thursday, regardless of the results, will not be a definitive day against Boluarte, but it could be the initiation of a short- or medium-term mobilisation against a president whose resignation has become a cry for a large part of the country.

“I have the impression that the logic of mobilization will continue. It is not that we will find ourselves facing an assault on power, as some fear, but it is clear that it will be a new moment that will make itself felt in Lima and in the interior of the country and there the distances between Lima and the interior of the country will shorten”, said the sociologist Eduardo Ballón, in statements in Télam.

For analysts, the root cause of the divorce is what Boluarte, who was Castillo’s vice president, said when he speculated that he would govern until 2026, when his term would expire. This implied not only granting three and a half more years of validity to the repudiated Congress, but also neglecting the popular clamor that, in 83% called for an immediate general election.

Finally, Congress approved setting the election for April 2024, but now It is not excluded to anticipate them for this year.

Marching orders

The departure of Boluarte, which people look like blame the 50 dead so far, according to the ombudsman’s office -41 civilians killed in clashes with the military, mostly from gunshot wounds; a policeman burned alive inside his patrol car and eight victims of the blockades – became a central item on the agenda.

But the 60-year-old president, who came to power on December 7, refuses to resign, stating that it is her constitutional duty to continue and that what is taking place is an offensive of “spur extremists who want chaos and anarchy“.

Among the demands are the closure of the unpopular Congress, controlled by the right and now allied with the Executive, the holding of general elections this year, the convening of an Assembly to amend the 1993 Constitution and the freedom for Castillo, in provisional detention since he was fired while attempting his own shot.

Source: Telam and EFE

B. C