Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said on Friday that she is a “progressive and moderate” left-wing politician and sees domestic and foreign private investment as key to helping the development of the world’s second-largest copper producer.
Boluarte, what took power after the removal of the former president Pedro Castillo affirmed that important paralyzed mining projects such as Tía María copper, from Southern Copper SCCO.N, is not a “closed” issue, although the environment must be respected before deciding on its operation.
“I characterize myself as a provincial left-wing woman, but from that progressive and moderate left, who wants the development of her country, who seeks equality and equity with social justice,” Boluarte told local radio station RPP.
The new head of state ran as vice president in Castillo’s presidential formula with the Marxist party Peru Libre, which later distanced itself from the government, which decided to implement moderate management in economic policy.
“I am not from that radical, recalcitrant left that wants to look to torpedo democracy,” added the president.
Peru lived for almost two weeks violent protests that have left at least 22 dead, after the expulsion of Castillo after trying to dissolve Congress illegally.
Boluarte has called for dialogue to restore calm in Peru, which has lived in constant political instability with up to six presidents in five years, amid social demands, mainly from the poorest regions of the country.
“We have to work with private investment,” he said. “If we continue with the chaos, we create legal insecurity for the outside (…) and investments will not come, and if investors do not come to Peru, where is the State going to get the money to meet all the demands? dissatisfied?” he said.
Regarding the conflicts in the vital mining sector, the president stated that she will seek to talk with the communities that live near a mining corridor in the Andes, which suffers from constant blockades that affect large copper producers.
“I want to tell my brothers from the mining corridor calm down, we won’t be able to talk about the violence,” he said.
The president said that she will also seek dialogue with leaders of towns surrounding the Tía María mining project, whose development has been paralyzed for more than a decade due to fears that its operation will contaminate the water.
“You have to talk, nothing is closed, but you have to respect life, respect the environment,” he said.
Mining is key to Peru’s economy as its shipments represent 60% of all exports from the Andean country.
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