Amid tension, Peruvian Prime Minister seeks to ratify his position before Congress

First modification: 01/10/2023 – 23:43

Alberto Otálora went to the headquarters of the Peruvian Legislature in the company of several ministers of the Government of Dina Boluarte in order to explain the general lines of his management and comply with the procedure required by law, which must be carried out a maximum of 30 days after swear in office

But Otálora and his ministerial team were not well received. Inside the Peruvian Chamber, shouts were heard calling for his resignation and accusations of “murderers” by some leftist legislators.

The parliamentarians shouted and held signs, in which messages could be read that account for the critical political situation that the Andean country has been experiencing for months, which was aggravated by the dismissal of Pedro Castillo and the transfer of command to Dina Baluarte.

Before the prime minister’s arrival in Congress, the plenary session proposed that the session be suspended, however, the majority of legislators voted to reject the motion and proceeded to advance the process.

Previously, Otálora had held rounds of dialogue with various political groups in order to obtain the votes of a simple majority of 130 congressmen so that his position could finally be ratified.

Boluarte has given a vote of confidence in Otálora

Otálora served as Defense Minister in Boluarte’s first cabinet, but on December 21 of last year, he was appointed as Peru’s Prime Minister, replacing Pedro Angulo, who was removed by the president just 11 days after his appointment. .

The recently inaugurated president decided to renew her ministerial team just a few days after taking office on December 7, in response to the strong demonstrations, acts of violence throughout the country and some twenty deaths registered during that month.

Otálora now heads the second cabinet of the Boluarte government, who has placed much of his trust in him and could be an important ally in dealing with the country’s crisis.

Although the protests calmed down for a few days due to the end-of-year festivities, thousands of Peruvians have returned to the streets to demand the resignation of Boluarte, the closure of Congress, an early call for elections and a new political constitution, among other things. .

Since last December 11, at least 46 people have lost their lives in the midst of the demonstrations.

Otálora appeared in Congress with a conciliatory speech

During the vote of confidence session, the Peruvian prime minister lamented the loss of life of the protesters in recent days, in addition to promising that the Government will develop a support program to “mitigate the pain” of the families of the people who lost their life or seriously injured.

He added that the authorities and government institutions are conducting investigations into the cases of destruction, looting of public property and tragic events during the days of protests.

“Through the Ministries of Defense and the Interior, we have delivered to the Public Ministry, head of the criminal investigation, all the corresponding information and we have transferred the prosecutors to the places under investigation in eight regions.”

Similarly, he referred to the observation visit announced by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which will take place between January 11 and 13 in order to learn about the real situation in the country during the demonstrations.

Through a statement, the IACHR said that the mission will be headed by Stuardo Ralón, the Commission’s rapporteur for Peru. The representatives will visit Lima and other cities and their purpose is “to meet, discuss and receive information from various sectors.”

Curfew is decreed in the Puno region

During the session on January 10, the head of ministers announced that the Government approved declaring a night curfew for three days in the southern region of Puno, the epicenter of the protests in recent days.

He also reported on the declaration of “national labor mourning” for this Wednesday, January 11, in honor of the people who died during almost a month of protests.

Otálora mentioned that a mission with medical supplies and medical equipment was sent to the border region with Bolivia, for which she asked the regional authorities and the protesters to allow a humanitarian corridor for the passage of the supplies.

During the same speech, the premier said that the Executive “will respond firmly” to annul what he has called a “coup hangover.”

With EFE and local media