© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Peruvian President Dina Boluarte attends a ceremony celebrating Peruvian Army Day and commemorating the Battle of Ayacucho, in Lima, Peru December 9, 2022. President of Peru / Released via REUTERS
By Marco Aquino
LIMA (Reuters) – Peru’s new president, Dina Boluarte, said early Monday she would submit a bill to Congress to bring the general election two years ago to April 2024, after The ousted predecessor, Pedro Castillo, sparked protests that left two people dead. Roads were blocked and a regional airport was invaded.
Boluarte was sworn in last week after Castillo was fired by Congress and arrested for trying to dissolve the legislature and prevent an impeachment vote against him in a day of political drama. vibrant manufacturing country No. 2 in the world.
“I have decided to present a bill to reach an agreement with Congress to move the general election to April 2024,” Boluarte, 60, said in a speech to the nation. “The homeland is going through difficult times.”
Boluarte said she would present the bill in the “coming days” after two teenagers were killed and four injured in Peru on Sunday during protests demanding the country hold general elections after Castillo was overturned. to pour.
The protesters, many of them Castillo supporters, have been demanding for days that Peru hold new elections instead of allowing Boluarte to stay in power until 2026, when Castillo’s term will take place. end. Some protesters also called for the closure of Congress and the release of Castillo.
The protests could be further fueled by the announcement from civic and indigenous groups of an indefinite strike starting on Monday in Apurimac, home to major mines such as the Las Bambas copper project, owned by MMG Ltd of China.
A source in Las Bambas, which has been battling community blockades for years, said the company had no official comment but confirmed there had been more lockdown threats and “extreme radicalize” protests against the company by the local community.
Castillo, a former teacher and farmer, has enjoyed massive support in rural and mining areas, helping him take office in 2021. However, his administration is mired in corruption allegations. and he faces three impeachment trials.
Graphics: Blocked roads in Peru https://www.reuters.com/graphics/PERU-POLITICS/zgpobbbayvd/chart.png
‘HIGH CONFLICT’ AREA
Protests involving hundreds or thousands of people have taken place since last week in cities in the interior of Peru and the capital, Lima, sometimes turning violent.
In Apurimac, authorities ordered the closure of the city’s airport following a weekend attack by protesters, police said. Portions of the main highway along Peru’s coast remained blocked on Monday in the southern regions of Ica and Arequipa.
The local unit of LATAM Airlines (OTC:) said in a statement that it had canceled flights to and from Arequipa following reports that protesters had invaded the city’s airport runway. In Ica, the education agency suspended classes from Monday.
A Peruvian community also blocked a key mining corridor highway near the city of Cusco amid protests against the country’s new president, a source close to the Las Bambas mine said.
Boluarte has declared a “state of emergency” in areas of “high conflict”, a measure that gives the armed forces more control if necessary.
“I have given instructions so that control of internal order can be restored peacefully, without affecting the basic rights of the people,” said Boluarte, who lamented the deaths that occurred in the country. Apurimac, said.
Castillo, who has been in preliminary arrest since Wednesday, is being investigated by prosecutors on charges of “sedition” and conspiracy.
