America

Civil and peasant organizations lead a new day of protests in Peru

Civil and peasant organizations lead a new day of protests in Peru

The protests are part of what protesters call a “national strike.” The mobilization, which is the continuation of the one that began after the arrest of former President Pedro Castillo in December, calls for the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and the closure of Congress.

The signs of discontent continue in Peru. This Saturday, February 4, traffic was interrupted in more than 70 points in the south of the nation. Among the affected roads are 16 of national circulation. Puno, Cusco, Madre de Dios, Junín and Apurímac are the areas with the most mobilizations, but also Lima, the capital.

“We are not going to give up this fight, the one who has to give up is the usurping lady (Dina Boluarte) and the Congress that fix everything so that we do not have to improve anything. They only steal from us and give our wealth to non-Peruvian companies,” said one of the participants in the Puno marches.

And it is that the protesters present similar claims since the beginning of the protests: the advancement of the general elections to this year, the closure of Congress, the calling of a Constituent Assembly and the resignation of President Dina Boluarte.

In Lima, the country’s capital, the less favored districts in the north of the city also rose up, and the police fired tear gas. The local press reported that there are several detainees.

The signs of discontent have left at least 59 dead, including a policeman who was burned alive by protesters. Added to these deaths are almost a dozen as a result of road blockades, mainly sick people who must be transferred and do not arrive on time at health centers.

Artists against violence

While the situation in the center of Lima was tense, a group of artists decided to demonstrate peacefully in residential areas where the effects of the crisis affecting the nation are hardly felt.

The performance, called “100 altarpieces for memory”, consisted of walking with typical handicrafts that contained photos of those who died since the beginning of the demonstrations. Venuca Evanán, one of the women who launched the initiative, described the action as “an exercise in memory through art.”

Evanán also stressed that “many people have died for demanding their rights (…) the idea is also to raise awareness among people who are living in their bubble as if it were not happening in their country.”

The handmade altarpieces also had messages framed in the crisis, even in the Quechua language. “How many deaths do you want to give up?” one of them prayed.

The genesis of the clashes

After trying to shut down Parliament, to avoid a political trial against him for corruption, former President Pedro Castillo was ousted and later arrested. He is currently in pretrial detention, facing charges of conspiracy and rebellion.

This caused thousands of people, mainly those who voted for Castillo, to take to the streets, which led to strong clashes with the forces of order. According to analysts, the high levels of poverty in various regions of the nation also served as fuel for the current crisis. In the Amazon and Andean regions, many also denounce discrimination.

In this sense, the Ombudsman of Peru made a call to the State to generate spaces for “dialogue and consensus”.

The protests have also severely affected the local economy. The State and small businesses calculated the damages and losses at around 1,300 million dollars.

The battle inside the halls of Congress

With only 7% approval, the Peruvian Congress is experiencing another battle within the walls of the chamber. Despite the fact that a good part of the polls show the popular will to advance the elections, this has reached an impasse in the debates of the institution.

Three bills to anticipate the elections were rejected due to disagreement over whether the advance bill should be accompanied by a referendum that opens the doors to the drafting of a new Magna Carta.

Out of 130 seats, there are about 13 groups or voting blocks. The two political tents that accumulate the most members have 25 and 15 seats. According to one of the members of the legislative body, the number of factions that currently exist “does not help when it is necessary to discuss” or “reach agreements.”

The protagonist of the crisis

But with Pedro Castillo the confrontations between the Legislative and the Executive did not begin. For several years now, Congress has been the protagonist of an institutional crisis that has cost an average of six presidential terms since 2016.

This is one of the reasons why the protesters demand the closure of the government entity. As the abuse of a mechanism stipulated by the Constitution, the vacancy for “moral incapacity” has been used for years as a mechanism to remove heads of state for political reasons.

According to the congressman of Peru Libre, Flavio Cruz, there is a “dysfunction in parliament.” “We have never had understanding between us. That is what the population is punishing. Our inability to agree ”, he pointed out. However, Cruz threw a dart at the right, directly accusing it of “taking over” the country.

But the problem is far from over. The power that Congress has is only taken away by changing the Constitution. Even if early elections are held, it will continue to have the same legal prerogatives. In addition, the same political parties that today do not reach an agreement would participate in the electoral process, which also reinforces the lack of confidence on the part of the population in their political system.

With EFE, Reuters and local media

Source link