The president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, guaranteed this Saturday that she will remain in office and criticized parliament for preventing the anticipation of general elections, a measure that could stop the protests caused by the dismissal of former head of state Pedro Castillo.
“What would my resignation solve? We are going to stay here, firm, until Congress decides to advance the elections. (…) I ask you to reconsider the vote,” Boluarte said, addressing the deputies who, on Friday, rejected the anticipation of elections.
The constitutional reform proposed by Boluarte points to the anticipation of general elections in December 2023, also demanding the reduction of presidential and parliamentary mandates until April 30 of the following year.
The measure had the support of only 49 deputies, with 33 votes against and 25 abstentions, preventing the constitutional reform.
“Be honest with people. (…) Abstention is the same as not,” defended Boluarte, after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, in which he asked to avoid “revenge policies.”
In recent weeks, Peruvians have taken to the streets in different parts of the country to protest the arrest of former President Pedro Castillo, on December 7, after he tried to dissolve parliament, in what was understood as an attempt to coup.
The protesters are calling on Peru’s new president, Dina Boluarte, to dissolve Congress and call new general elections.
The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency at the national level, for a period of 30 days, in response to the protests in support of Castillo.
Source: TSF
