The president rules out resigning, the pope calls for calm
President Dina Boluarte remains at the head of Peru shaken by deadly protests on December 7, while Pope Francis calls for an end to violence.
Supporters of former President Pedro Castillo demonstrate to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, the release of Castillo and the closure of Congress in Lima, December 17, 2022.
AFP
“The information we have is that the measures we have taken are working (…) The violence of people who demonstrated in the streets is decreasing,” Prime Minister Pedro Angulo said on television on Sunday. Economy Minister Alex Contreras said earlier on Sunday on Peruvian radio that the country was “on the right track” to easing the crisis unleashed after the dismissal of President Pedro Castillo.
“What would my resignation solve? We will stay here, firm, until the Congress decides to advance the elections (…) I ask that we reconsider the vote” of Friday, when the Parliament decided against the advancement of the general elections from 2026 to 2023, she pleaded on Saturday.
In a televised message, Dina Boluarte – vice-president of Peru until the dismissal of Pedro Castillo – deplored the demonstrations which left at least 19 dead and 569 injured, including minors. Some deaths are linked to clashes with the military, authorized to intervene to maintain internal security as part of the establishment of the state of emergency for a period of 30 days. “It is only through calm and a sincere and open dialogue that we will be able to work (…). How can we fight between Peruvians, mess up our institutions, block the roads?” she asked.
“Political and social crisis”
The president, from the same Radical Left Party as Pedro Castillo, explained that if the armed forces took to the streets, “it was to protect” the citizens “because the situation was getting out of control”. She denounced the presence of organized “violent groups”.
Pope Francis prayed on Sunday during his Angelus in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican “for the violence in the country to end and for us to take the path of dialogue in order to overcome the political and social crisis which is affecting the population”.
Protesters demand the release of Pedro Castillo, the resignation of Dina Boluarte, the dissolution of Parliament and immediate general elections. The most intense protests have taken place in the poverty-stricken Andean region of southern Peru, where social grievances have long gone unaddressed.
Dina Boluarte, from Apurimac, one of the conflict zones, delivered part of her message in Quechua, a language spoken by a large Andean part of the country.
Protests erupted after Pedro Castillo tried to dissolve parliament on December 7 and rule by decree. A former left-wing teacher from a rural and modest background, he was arrested when he tried to reach the Mexican embassy to seek asylum. Initially imprisoned for seven days, justice decided Thursday that he would remain in prison for 18 months, until June 2024, in order to be charged with rebellion. He faces a ten-year prison sentence, according to prosecutor Alcides Diaz, in charge of the case.
200 tourists evacuated
Some 200 tourists stranded in the famous Machu Picchu region due to protests were evacuated on Saturday, AFP noted.
On board a train, they arrived near the town of Piscacucho, in the region of Cuzco (south), where a huge rock blocked the passage. From there, tourists – including North Americans and Europeans – walked about two kilometers to board buses heading for the city of Cusco, which has an international airport.
The mayor of the village near Machu Picchu, Darwin Baca, told AFP that “5,000 tourists” were stranded in Cuzco. The city’s airport reopened on Friday afternoon.
AFP
You found an error?Please let us know.