- In Peru, there should be early elections in view of the ongoing protests.
- President Dina Boluarte has asked Parliament to schedule elections by December at the latest.
- Since ex-president Pedro Castillo was removed from office at the beginning of December, there have been repeated violent protests in the country.
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has asked Congress to authorize elections later this year. This is a clear concession by the head of government. For weeks, Peru’s government has been confronted with protests that have killed almost 60 people.
Boluarte had previously advocated holding national elections in April 2024 rather than 2026 as originally planned. Now there seems to be growing support among legislators for bringing it forward to December 2023.
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Boluarte has repeatedly spoken out against the demonstrations in recent weeks, describing them as violent and claiming that they are being financed by drug dealers.
AP Photo/Martin Mejia
Postponing the elections later this year could help the country “get out of this swamp we’re in,” Boluarte said. The former vice president became president on December 7 after her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was impeached. He was accused of wanting to dissolve Congress.
After Castillo was arrested, protests erupted across the country. According to the Peruvian authorities, 56 people died in the unrest, including at least 45 in direct clashes with security forces. Anti-Boluarte protests were concentrated in outlying areas, particularly in the south of the country, where voters felt a special closeness to Castillo, the first Peruvian president with a rural Andean background.
Boluarte reiterated: “I’m here because I’ve taken on a responsibility and I’ll be here until Congress sets a date. That is why I am asking for an agreement to be reached.” Boluarte added that she has no interest in remaining in the presidency.