The new president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, called for calm this Friday amid violent protests by supporters of former President Castillo demanding his release and new elections, an alternative that he said he did not rule out when announcing the imminent formation of his government.
“I appeal to the sisters and brothers who go out to demonstrate to ask them to calm down,” said the inaugurated former vice president this Wednesday after the dismissal of Pedro Castillo by Parliament.
In statements to the press, he did not rule out calling early elections in search of a peaceful solution to the political crisis.
“If society and the situation warrant it, we will propose elections within the framework of discussions with the democratic forces of Congress,” Dina Boluarte told the press while indicating that her government will be formed on Saturday.
tensions in the country
Numerous protests broke out Thursday in Lima and several cities across the country, including in the Andean regions where Pedro Castillo, a former rural school teacher, enjoys the most support.
On Friday, the specific blockades of the Pan-American highway, the main one that crosses the country and extends from north to south of the American continent, continued the day before. And new concentrations are expected at the end of the day in the capital.
On Thursday, police used tear gas to disperse protesters who were marching toward Parliament holding signs reading “Freedom for Castillo,” “Boluarte does not represent me” or “Dissolution of Parliament.”
A coup”
“We are experiencing a coup decreed by the coup Congress. It is not possible that a small group of one hundred people can depose a president elected by millions of people,” said a protester, Ana Zevallos.
The Ombudsman’s Office called on Twitter “all citizens to be calm and responsible”, recalling that “the use of violent means during demonstrations is prohibited.”
After his failed attempt to dissolve Parliament and establish a state of emergency, a maneuver described as a “coup d’état”, Pedro Castillo was placed in preventive detention for seven days this Thursday due to a complaint from the Public Ministry that sued him for “rebellion” and ” conspiracy”.
He is being held in a police station, the same one where another former president, Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), is serving a 25-year prison sentence for crimes against humanity and corruption.
Source: BFM TV
