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Deposed Peruvian President Pedro Castillo (on October 11): new elections would be a "dirty game"
Photo:
Martin Mejia/AP
A few days after being ousted by parliament, Peru's ex-president Pedro Castillo spoke up in a handwritten letter that he published on Twitter.
He was "kidnapped" and humiliated, and his successor, ex-Vice President Dina Boluarte, was a "usurper," Castillo wrote.
Her announcement of early elections is also a "dirty game" that will increase tensions in the country.
Boularte had previously announced that new elections would be held in 2024.
In an address to the nation, Boluarte said she would present a bill to the South American country's Congress to bring forward the elections to mid-April 2024.
The next regular election, in which both the presidency and the parliament will be decided in Peru, would actually be in 2026.
Boularte's announcement was preceded by protests in several regions, which also resulted in fatalities.
Demonstrations also took place on Monday.
This is how protesters entered Arequipa's international airport, one of the largest in the country.
The demonstrators destroyed security infrastructure and set fire to a sentry box, the Peruvian Ministry of Transport announced on Monday.
The airport was closed for security reasons.
Peruvian television showed demonstrators walking down the airport runway.
Security forces used tear gas.
According to media reports, four people were injured.
Arequipa in the south of the Andean country is one of the regions for which Interior Minister César Cervantes had declared a state of emergency.
Among other things, the demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Castillo's successor, Dina Boluarte, early new elections and the release of ex-President Castillo, who is in custody.
The left-wing politician was replaced by the previous Vice President on Wednesday.
He had wanted to forestall a vote of no confidence against himself by dissolving Congress at short notice – with the idea of setting up an emergency government and governing by decree in the future.
Many MPs saw it as an attempted coup.
In his own words, Boluarte is aiming for early presidential and parliamentary elections in April 2024
Sol/dpa/Reuters