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Boluarte hopes to ratify 2024 early elections, Castillo still detained

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Dec 2022 08:45
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Peru's appointed President Dina Boluarte seeks to ratify early 2024 elections and contain ongoing protests.

The newly-appointed Peruvian President seeks to hold early elections but the people continue to stand with ousted President (Telecinco)

Since President Pedro Castillo was ousted, Peru has witnessed protests across the country that have called for Congress's dissolution, fresh general elections, and a new constituent assembly.

A motion to hold early elections in 2024 was conditionally endorsed by lawmakers in the Peruvian Congress on Tuesday. This is part of an effort to appease the political upheaval that has wreaked havoc throughout the country since the removal of Pedro Castillo as president.

The legislative proposal, approved by a two-thirds majority, is intended to permit elections in April 2024; however, the legislation must be ratified in the following legislative session to take effect.

Both the presidential and legislative elections were originally set for 2026, but lawmakers moved them ahead two years since the proposed initiative was one of the primary demands of demonstrators opposing Castillo's ouster.

A similar piece of legislation was attempted to be passed the week before, but it was unsuccessful since left-wing politicians opted to abstain from voting.

Peru's Boluarte refuses to step down as protests intensify

Peru's President Dina Boluarte, which was appointed by the legislature following the ousting of Castillo, said on Saturday she will not step down from her presidential duties amid protests intensifying in Peru calling for her resignation that have already left 20 dead and several wounded.

"What is solved by my resignation? We will be here, firmly, until Congress determines to bring forward the elections," Boluarte told Peruvians, adding that she was regretful of the deaths that ensued from the protests.

Boluarte further said that armed troops were solely on the streets "to take care and protect" Peruvian citizens as she described the protests as "overflowed" with elements of violence that were coordinated, and not spontaneous.

"These groups did not emerge overnight. They had tactically organized to block roads," she said.

Peru's Castillo victim of 'anti-democratic persecution': Statement

The governments of Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, and Mexico expressed on Monday their concern about the political crisis in Peru and urged its authorities to respect the will of Peruvians amid protests.

Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was impeached by parliament and arrested early in December. He issued a letter, on December 12, that reaffirmed his refusal to resign and urged Peruvians to reject the snap election scheduled for 2024.

"The governments of the Republic of Colombia, the United Mexican States, the Argentine Republic, and the Plurinational State of Bolivia express their profound concern for the recent events that resulted in the removal and the detention of Jose Pedro Castillo Terrones, President of the Republic of Peru," the joint statement of the four Latin American governments read.

The four governments considered that since he was elected, Castillo has been the victim of an "anti-democratic persecution."

"Our governments call on all of the actors involved in the process to prioritize the will of the citizens that was made clear on election day," the statement read.