During his visit to the French capital, where he came to present Peru’s candidacy for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the president of the Peruvian Council of Ministers, Alberto Otárola, was on a stopover in Paris. The Peruvian government is willing to mark a new stage “in its relationship with the world,” now that six months have passed since the failed attempt to dissolve parliament promoted by former President Pedro Castillo. Six months then of the presidency of Dina Boluarte.
Peru’s candidacy for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has a double objective: “Complete a process of institutional reforms to ensure a more assertive governance that allows to provide quality services to Peruvian citizens, and secondly to relaunch Peru’s position in its relationship with Europe and the world through the public management and the resumption of political reform”.
The trip of the president of the Council of Ministers of Peru coincides this June 7 with a key date. Six months have passed since President Pedro Castillo’s failed attempt to dissolve Parliament, an action that Escala’s guest in Paris repeatedly described as a “coup d’état.”
But, despite the prolonged crisis situation in the country, Alberto Otárola affirms that the crisis has already ended, arguing that “there is no march in the country and that no road is blocked.” “We are governing with peace and tranquility, having overcome an unfortunate event in the recent history of our country,” he added.
In fact, President Dina Boluarte has just been questioned by the Public Prosecutor’s Office to give her testimony in the framework of the investigation being carried out into the repression that followed the removal of former President Castillo. According to official data, more than 60 people lost their lives during the protests. Facts described as “crime of homicide and genocide” by justice.
The president of the Council of Ministers stressed that the president’s actions “was legitimate” and that the repression against the protesters who were calling for her resignation occurred “at the scene of an attack against State institutions, with attempted takeovers simultaneously ”.
Dina Boluarte is the first woman to become president of Peru, a country where the last five presidents have been accused of corruption, have ended up in prison and one committed suicide. Alberto Otárola points out that the Peruvian political functioning system “is hybrid, presidential – parliamentary; the cabinet has to ask for confidence in Congress and the president can dissolve Congress and that has not allowed us to have political stability. I think it is a pending task that Congress will have to undertake at this time. “It is not encouraging at all that we have so many presidents in this situation.”
In foreign affairs, Peru is committed to closer cooperation with its South American neighbors, notably around the joint defense of the Amazon. Alberto Otárola is confident that the European Union-CELAC summit, which will take place in Brussels in mid-July, will be an opportunity for Europe to once again focus its gaze on the region.
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Editorial coordination: Florence Valdes
Direction: Souheil Khedir, David Brockwell
