The president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, asked for “pardon”, admitted that the government “erred in the search for peace and tranquility”, but guaranteed that it will not resign, after anti-government protests in which at least 49 people died.
In a message to the Peruvian nation this Friday, Boluarte reaffirmed the government’s commitment “to continue promoting dialogue and social peace” in the country.
“I am not going to resign, my commitment is with Peru and not with this little group that is making the country bleed,” said the head of state, who had not made public statements since Monday.
Boluarte revealed that he asked the Peruvian parliament to advance the voting date of the bill, presented by the executive, which provides for the holding of general elections in April 2024.
The protests demand the resignation of Boluarte, the dissolution of Congress, the calling of a constituent assembly, new elections this year, and the release of deposed President Pedro Castillo, meanwhile sentenced to 18 months in “preventive prison.”
The demonstrations began in December, shortly after Boluarte took office as head of government, after Congress removed Castillo, accused of promoting a coup d’état that implied the dissolution of the chamber and the holding of new elections.
Boluarte guaranteed this Friday that “the country deserves to know the truth objectively and quickly” about the deaths recorded in the demonstrations and welcomed the investigations opened by the Public Ministry to “identify those responsible.”
Three leaders of an organization involved in the protests taking place in the Ayacucho region, in southern Peru, were arrested Thursday night, police sources reported.
The Public Ministry has also opened a “genocide” investigation against Boluarte and several other senior officials.
On Friday, however, the President called for “everything to be investigated” in reference to the alleged “foreign infiltrators and instigators” who, in her opinion, are “responsible for violent acts.”
After expressing her regret over the deaths, the president called for an end to the violence, despite acknowledging that behind the protests there is also a “fair denunciation” of citizens who express their “dissatisfaction over unsatisfied demands” and ignored for decades.
Hours earlier, the Peruvian Interior Minister, Víctor Rojas, had resigned after being harshly criticized for the alleged excessive use of force by the police in the protests.
The Minister of Women and Vulnerable Populations Grecia Rojas and the Minister of Labor Eduardo García Birimisa also resigned on Friday and Thursday, respectively, in protest at the handling of the political crisis.
Source: TSF
