The head of Labor, Eduardo García, today presented his resignation to the president Dina Boluarte in the midst of the violent protests and pointed out that this situation “deserves a change of faces in the leadership of the country.”
García, who was an adviser to the Labor Commission chaired by congresswoman Sigrid Bazán, argued in his letter that his step aside is due to the deaths registered in the demonstrations that have taken place in Peru after the coup d’état perpetrated by the former president Pedro Castillo, on December 7, 2022.
“Madam President, the desire that you showed to serve the country and to give the best of all of us to move Peru forward made us understand that resigning was not the best option (…) however, the tragedy was quickly repeated and many brothers fell, this time in Puno and Cusco. This time, I believe that attention to social demands is no longer enough for what the country needs. The tragedies that we have just experienced demonstrate this,” the letter reads.
The still minister maintained that “a political act is required” that “expresses the pain that we feel for the loss of the lives of our brothers, for the losses that these families have suffered.”
He then indicated that this situation “deserves a change of faces in the leadership of the country and an early election that cannot wait until April 2024.” “Not doing so, I think, generates wear and tear that, at least in my case, disables me from being able to put into practice the construction of the dialogue that I believe the country needs,” he added.
García Birimisa is the third member of a ministerial cabinet to resign under the Boluarte government. Last December, Jair Pérez resigned as head of Culture Y Patricia Carrera did the same in the Education portfolio. Both accused the same reason: the deaths that caused that month the confrontation between the forces of order and the protesters.
According to the Ombudsman’s Office, as of today, January 12, 49 people have died: 41 civilians due to the protests, 7 due to roadblocks, and one police officer due to acts of violence.
