More governors and professional associations demand Dina Boluarte to resign

“How many more deaths will Dina Boluarte’s permanence in the presidency cost? That is what all Peruvians, left or right, should ask ourselves. No position can be above human life”.

This was stated by the regional governor of Puno, Richard Hancco, who added that the 47 deaths have opened a deep wound inside the country and the situation is irreconcilable, so the only way out is the resignation of Boluarte.

In the same way, other governors such as Puno and Apurímac were pronounced; also the president of the Regional Council of Cusco; twelve bar associations of Peru; and the College of Teachers of Peru.

All of them joined the voices of authorities and organizations that call for the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, censure the majority of members of the Congress of the Republic and demand immediate general elections to avoid more deaths in the country. Yesterday also occurred the resignation of the prime minister of the Otárola cabinet, Eduardo García Birimisa, from the Labor portfolio (see more details on page 6).

“For social peace”

The governor of Apurímac, Percy Godoy, after expressing his solidarity with the peoples of Puno and Cusco for the deceased and whose perpetrators must be tried to the fullest extent of the law, called for Boluarte’s departure.

Through a statement, they requested the immediate resignation of Boluarte and that “the clamor and the platform of struggle of the mobilized people must be heard for the tranquility and social peace of the Peruvian people.”

The president of the Cusco Regional Council, Italo Tarco, considered as important points the “resignation of Dina Boluarte, a new Board of Directors, closure of Congress and advancement of elections in 2023.” He also reported that the 22 regional councilors of Cusco question the work of the Cusco congressmen and demanded that they be accountable for their actions in plenary.

In the same sense, 12 deans of the bar associations of Huánuco, Arequipa, Moquegua, Ayacucho, Ica, Huancavelica, Ventanilla, Junín, Tacna, Pasco, Madre de Dios and Puno spoke out, who after requesting the immediate cessation of the use of firearms against citizens, propose as a way out of the crisis the resignation of Boluarte “due to the inability to find consensus.”

The College of Teachers of Peru demanded the advancement of elections in 2023, for which the immediate resignation of President Dina Boluarte is necessary.

The president of the Paracas Chamber of Tourism and Foreign Trade (Capatur) said that the way out of the crisis lies in the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and elections this 2023. During the interview he gave to LR+ Economía, the businessman stated that “ the death of no Peruvian can be justifiable”.

Mining headquarters attacked

Meanwhile, protests in the country continue to escalate. In the province of Espinar, Cusco, the organizations joined the social protest demanding the resignation of the president of the country. The protesters closed the mining corridor, affecting the mining companies Las Bambas, Antapacay and Hudbay. The Coporaque bridge was blocked, as was Pallpata, from where roads to Arequipa, Cusco and Puno depart.

Vandals entered the facilities of the Antapacay mining company, burned two vehicles and set fire to one of the camp’s rooms. However, Sergio Huamaní, leader of the Espinar United Interests Front (Fudie), said that these events occur because Dina Boluarte does not resign.

Yesterday, in the Imperial City, there were more violent confrontations with the police, although honors were also paid to the deceased leader Remo Candia Guevara. There were closed shops, zero urban transport, massive marches and flags at half mast. Hundreds of citizens from Anta and Quispicanchi arrived to join the strike in Cusco.

In the Tupac Amaru de Wanchaq square, eight communal pots were set up to feed the demonstrators.

New duel in Juliaca

In Juliaca there was a kind of truce to honor and keep memory of the fallen. The indefinite strike restarts with the stoppage and the agreement to undertake a march to Lima with 50,000 people.

“This government has managed to unite us more. So many deaths will not remain like this. We are going to Lima. Whatever the consequences. The real thing is that Boluarte has to leave,” noted Josefina Quille, a merchant from the San José market.

Here, the commission of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights arrived in Juliaca. He met with relatives of deceased and leaders (see page 7).

In Puno, groups of sikuris took to the streets dressed as a sign of ownership and solidarity with the fallen. In the 13 provinces there were marches and announcements to go to the capital.

In Puerto Maldonado there were also clashes between the population and the PNP.

Great march in Lima

In Lima, the population also mobilized to demand the resignation of Boluarte, the closure of Congress and a new Constitution. The march called by the CGTP moved to Plaza San Martín, where a police cordon prevented them from entering the premises. It was then that the protesters decided to move through other arteries of the city. They even reached the Kennedy park in Miraflores.

A large banner with the inscription ‘Down with the murderous dictatorship of Boluarte’ led the march. Among the participants, the presence of former Health Minister Hernando Cevallos and former congresswoman Indira Huilca was noted.

Meanwhile, the executive secretary of the National Human Rights Coordinator, Jennie Dador, warned that we are in a human rights crisis and there is a political responsibility for what happened in the south of the country. She said that there is a chain of command and that can lead to immediate and mediate responsibility.

In Congress, the collection of signatures in support of a motion to declare Boluarte’s vacancy for permanent moral incapacity, for crimes caused by military and police repression, began.

Otárola: “Boluarte’s resignation would open a floodgate for anarchy and misrule”

The President of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Otárola, pointed out that President Dina Boluarte will not resign from office in the context of the protests taking place in the interior of the country.

At a press conference, he explained that leaving the presidency of the Republic would mean “opening a very dangerous floodgate for anarchy and misgovernment.”

“I want to say it very clearly: the president is not going to resign. That fact is not going to happen and not because she doesn’t want to, but because the Constitution requires that the succession that has taken place be consolidated. Leaving the presidency of the Republic would be opening a very dangerous floodgate for anarchy and misgovernment. And that is not going to happen,” said the head of the ministerial cabinet.

Alberto Otárola added that the head of state, Dina Boluarte, “is firm in leading the country.” He also stressed that she “is not governing on automatic pilot.”

After asking Peruvians to trust democracy, the rule of law, human rights and their institutions, he indicated that the law to advance elections is on the agenda of Congress and that law should be decided.