While hundreds of protesters mobilized in the business area of Lima and others in the town of Ica confronted the police, who were trying to unblock a section of an important southern highway, President Dina Boluarte made her defenses and assured that she will not renounce a group of foreign press correspondents in the Government Palace.
Boluarte held responsible for the protests that shake the country for the past seven weeks to “radicals” linked to drug trafficking, illegal mining and smuggling and for this reason, he said, they have concentrated geographically in the areas where these illegal activities have the most strength, on many occasions, such as Puno and Apurímac.
That is why they are strategic places for them, where they are generating chaos and anxiety, he said. “While we deal with the police to be able to safeguard the life and tranquility of my compatriots, but also to care for and safeguard private property and that of the State, they are taking advantage of that space and that panic, so call it, to do their illegal activity without the greatest control,” he said.
He assured that the protests are leaving an approximate loss of 2,000 million soles (about 512 million dollars) in production and 3,000 million soles (about 770 million dollars) in infrastructure.
the impeachment Y arrest at the beginning of December of then-president Pedro Castillo, of whom Boluarte was vice-president, triggered the demonstrations that became increasingly violent as the days went by, amid roadblocks, burning public offices and taking over airports.
Clashes between law enforcement and protesters have left fifty dead, all inside the country, and hundreds wounded so far. Protesters and law enforcement accuse each other of excesses and the president once again apologized for the victims.
Those who protest call for the resignation of Boluarte, the closure of Congress and immediate elections. At the beginning of the demonstrations, they also demanded the release of Castillo, a prisoner from a police base, but in recent days that request has lost force.
In Photos | Demonstrations in Peru after the removal of Castillo
Pedro Castillo was dismissed by Congress. Hours before, he had announced the dissolution of the Chamber and the establishment of an “exception government.”
“paramilitary apparatus”
In his conversation with the foreign press, Boluarte attacked his predecessor: “There is no victim here, Mr. Castillo; What there is here is a country that is bleeding as a result of its irresponsibility. Here is a woman who is a victim of her hatred and her revenge.
“Constitutionally, I am sitting as the constitutional president of the Republic as a result of a coup d’état carried out by Mr. Castillo (…) I think it was more convenient for him to carry out a coup d’état to victimize himself and move all this paramilitary apparatus, as a congressman said, who defends him tooth and nail, and not respond to the Public Ministry for the acts of corruption that were being denounced,” said Boluarte.
Castillo, teacher and trade unionist, tried unsuccessfully to dissolve Congress last December 7th. He ruled for 17 months amid accusations of poor state management and corruption around him; although he has assured that the right wing and the Peruvian elite torpedoed his management.
Truce
In the midst of more calls for protests in Lima and the blockade of key highways in the country, the president asked Congress to speed up the approval of the request to advance the elections and assured that once they are summoned, they will leave power.
The Executive presented an initiative to parliament to anticipate the general elections for April 2024. More than a month ago, Congress approved the project, but a second vote is pending, which does not yet have a date.
“I call on my beloved homeland to a national truce to be able to start the dialogue tables and even better to be able to set the agenda for each region and develop our peoples. I am not going to get tired of calling them to dialogue, peace and unity”, explained Boluarte.
“From here I also call on Congress (…) I will leave when you have voted and from the Executive we have called for general elections. Nobody wants to stay in power, I have no intention of staying as president beyond what we have already set in advance of the elections, ”she promised.
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