Amid the wave of protests against the president Dina BolarteHe Congress of Peru on Wednesday he again rejected the bill that seeks to bring forward general elections in December this year, including presidential and legislative elections.
In particular, lawmakers have strongly rejected 54 votes in favour, 68 against and two abstentions the second proposal in a week – and the third since December – to bring forward the 2023 elections. To be approved, it needed the support of 87 of the 130 deputies.
Following this determination, the Peruvian president released a statement on the Presidency’s social networks, where she regretted “that Congress has not reached the consensus necessary to advance the elections” and reiterated that she will present a bill “immediately” to insist on his plans to hold a general election this year.
For their part, left-wing congressmen applauded Wednesday’s rejection of the bill presented by the right-wing Fujimori Fuerza Popular party.
After taking office as interim president on December 7, following the ousting of Pedro Castillo, Boluarte announced that she would end her official mandate in 2026. However, the outbreak of protests demanding her resignation led her to reduce the mandate in April 2024 and subsequently to propose elections in the same year.
Wave of protests in Peru
This Wednesday, new marches and protests took place in central Lima, near the Congress, with hundreds of demonstrators expressing their rejection of the government.
“Congress has refused to bring forward the election and we do not agree. We demand it by April (2023). I ask all members of Congress, why are you doing this to us, why are they betraying us,” one of the protesters asked in dialogue with the news agency AFP extension.
Another complained in the middle of the procession, where Peruvian flags and wiphalas (the seven-color flag of the Andean peoples) abounded: “Shut down the Congress, we don’t want those deputies who have personal interests”.
After the snap election was rejected, Congress began discussing a new proposal from the left caucuses, which involves a consultation to hold a Constituent Assembly, but minutes later it was suspended until Thursday due to a heated argument between members of Congress.
Boluarte and Fuerza Popular defend the progress of the elections to appease the protests that have caused at least 48 deaths directly related to them since the firing and arrest of Castillo, after he tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.
In parallel with the political crisis, protests continue with roadblocks that have caused fuel shortages in several regions, including Tacna, on the southern border with Chile.
The cuts have also generated problems among seriously ill patients who need transfers, cancer treatments, and have complicated the distribution of medical services in different areas of the country.
Peru’s Las Bambas copper mine, operated by China’s MMG and supplying about 2% of the world’s metal volume, announced it would suspend operations from Wednesday if cuts continue.
With information from AFP.
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.