The center of the Peruvian capital once again became the scene of a pitched battle with the incessant noise of tear gas bombs in the background. The protesters, more violent, face the police in the midst of a social upheaval that, after 52 days of the government of boluarte shows no signs of appeasing.
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“Not one dead anymore, Dina is a murderer”, “We want dignity, Dina resigns now” were some of the slogans of this Saturday's march, which began as a popular party with music bands from the Andes and artists until a group of hooded men advanced on the outskirts of Congress, heavily guarded by riot police, resulting in intense clashes in which at least two injuries were reported, one of them a police officer.
The new episodes of violence coincided with the refusal by Congress to bring forward the elections to this year, as boluarte had requested.
47 dead
Earlier, the president regretted the Legislature's contrary vote in bringing forward the general elections and asked that personal and partisan interests be put aside to “find a way out of the political crisis” in the country, marked by protests and blockades that have already left 47 dead.
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“We urge the benches to put aside their partisan interests and prioritize the interests of Peru,” he wrote Dina Boluarte on twitter.
Before the explosion of violence, hundreds of people from Lima and the provinces, the majority indigenous, gathered in Plaza San Martin, responding to the call for the 'March for Dina Boluarte's resignation and early elections'.
“Without justice, peace is hypocrisy”, said a poster carried by a group of 'mourning clowns', who paraded with Andean music in the background, and a few blocks from the Concert for Peace, another demonstration against violence organized by civil groups who support the work of law enforcement. Most of these protesters wore some white clothing and held out a long red and white flag, the colors of the Peru.
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Seven weeks of violence
Seven weeks ago, the Peru has been the scene of demonstrations calling for the resignation of boluarte, who assumed the Presidency as vice-president after the dismissal of the then head of state, Pedro Castillo (left), on December 7, for trying to dissolve Parliament.
Clashes between protesters and law enforcement have since left 47 people dead, including a police officer who was burned alive, as well as ten civilians – including a baby – who died in events related to the blockades, according to the Ombudsman's Office.
The Andean south of Peru, where historically relegated Quechua and Aymara communities live, remains on a warpath demanding the resignation of boluarte and holding elections.
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After a session lasting more than seven hours, Congress rejected, in the early hours of this Saturday, the anticipation of the general elections to 2023, as the president had requested. boluarte, given the worsening situation and in an attempt to find a way out of the serious crisis that the country is going through.
The proposal presented by Fujimorist congressman Hernando Guerra García, from the right-wing Força Popular (FP) party, was defeated by 65 votes to 45 and, therefore, the project of holding the general elections in April 2024 is maintained.
Bring forward the elections
boluarte, who since assuming the Presidency has faced frequent calls for his resignation, asked on Friday that elections be scheduled for December this year so that the country can more quickly emerge from the “quagmire” caused by road blockages, shortages and violence in different regions of the country. Peru.
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The proposal even brought forward the elections to October so that the president, congressmen and elected authorities would hand over power in December 2023.
The left, however, insisted that the proposal should also include a referendum on the Constituent Assembly, which is rejected by a wide spectrum of Peruvian politics. Other parties denounced an alleged maneuver to take advantage of elections by Força Popular, the party of former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori.
The project voted on in the early hours of this Saturday will be submitted to Congress for reconsideration on Monday, at the request of Fujimorism, but analysts consider a reversal of the result unlikely.
(with AFP)
