Peru: President calls on Parliament to bring elections forward

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte urged, on the evening of Sunday January 29 during a televised message to the Nation, Parliament to approve early elections for October 2023 and thus try to get out of the political crisis and the unrest that caused 48 dead since December.

“

,” she said as parliament disapproved a bill to this effect on Saturday morning.

“

,” she added.

She said that if Parliament refused to vote to advance the elections, she would present a constitutional reform aimed at organizing the elections with a first round in October this year and a second round in December.

Dina Boluarte addressed the country hours before Parliament is due to debate again the bill rejected on Saturday by 65 votes to 45 and which aimed to bring the elections forward to October.

On Saturday, a demonstrator died during protests demanding the resignation of Dina Boluarte and elections as soon as possible.

This first death in Lima brought to 48 the number of deaths since the beginning of the unrest.

These began on December 7 after the dismissal and arrest of leftist President Pedro Castillo, accused of having attempted a coup d'etat in order to dissolve the Parliament which was about to oust him from power.

The crisis is also a reflection of the huge rift between the capital and the impoverished provinces that backed Native American President Castillo and saw his election as revenge for what they feel was Lima's contempt.

Political power fails to find an answer to the demands of the population, especially the rural population of the predominantly indigenous, historically neglected southern Andean region, who hoped to see their living conditions improve with the arrival of Castillo. to the presidency (2021-2022).