The government of Dina Boluarte declared a state of national emergency in Peru on Wednesday and proposed to advance the elections to 2023 to appease the violent protests that are shaking the country after the failed self-coup by Pedro Castillo, the AFP agency indicated.
(See: Peru would advance elections to 2023 after declaring a state of emergency).
“It has been agreed to declare a state of emergency for the entire country due to vandalism and violence, the seizure of highways and roads,” ad Defense Minister Alberto Otárolaalthough he assured that the police and the armed forces control the situation.
The protests and seizures of airports and highways have left at least seven dead and some 200 injured in a weekaccording to the Ombudsman’s Office.
Boluarte, who until a week ago served as vice president, assumed the leadership of State after Castillo’s failed self-coup and his subsequent dismissal and arrest last Wednesday.
(See: They open a support line for tourists in Peru).
The head of state, who has been in power for a week, initially assured that she would rule until end of Castillo’s term in July 2026as provided by the Constitution.
But a wave of demonstrations demanding the ex-president’s release and immediate elections led her to propose an advancement of the elections first to April 2024 and then to December 2023.
(See: Peru focuses on recovering confidence in the economy).
Congress will meet in full this Thursday to discuss the proposal to go to the polls at the end of next year.
Castillo, a 53-year-old left-wing rural teacheris accused of “rebellion” Y “conspiracy” by the Prosecutor’s Office, which seeks to keep him in pretrial detention for 18 months.
(See: Riots and chaos: the days in Peru after the fall of Pedro Castillo).
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