In a press conference alongside her ministers, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte ruled out resigning from office and demanded that Congress approve the anticipation of general elections.
On Friday (16), Parliament did not obtain enough votes to approve the constitutional reform that would allow for early elections.
Dina also announced that there will be changes in her ministry in the coming days and stated that “it is not the time for a constituent assembly”, a demand from the opposition.
The parliamentarians rejected the proposal presented by the party of Keiko Fujimori, opponent of former president Pedro Castillo, to bring forward the presidential elections from April 2026 to December 2023.
The decision could increase the dissatisfaction of the population with the country’s Congress, plunged into political and social crises since the removal of the politician from the Presidency. At least 18 people died in protests and roadblocks.
“There is a group saying ‘Resign, Dina’, but what would that solve? It doesn’t solve the problem. We will stand firm until Congress approves the early elections. We need to say ‘no’ to violence”, said Dina, adding that Peru should not take “political revenge”.
The anticipation of the elections is one of the demands of the protesters who have taken to the streets since the removal of Castillo, on the 7th, and who are also demanding the release of the former president. Dina, who was Castillo’s deputy, is seen as a traitor by the populist’s supporters.
The measure was rejected by parliamentarians who belong to opposition parties, as in the case of Perú Libre, Castillo’s former party, and also by politicians from the center. They demanded that the vote of a Constituent Assembly be included in the text, which was not accepted by Força Popular.
“What will come is Boluarte’s resignation and a democratic transition,” said left-wing parliamentarian Ruth Luque on Friday (16). “Given the number of dead Peruvians, she should resign,” added centrist Susel Paredes.
Dina criticized Congress for rejecting the anticipation of the election and trying to extricate itself through abstentions. “With half words the problem cannot be solved, the solution is in your hands”, she said. “Don’t be blind, look at the population and act”. The representative announced a ministerial reform in the coming days. “We are going to recompose the cabinet to give the Peruvian population greater peace of mind,” said the president, in a press conference at the government palace.
On Friday (16), the Ministers of Education and Culture, Patricia Correa and Jair Perez, resigned from their positions because of the deaths resulting from the protests that have taken over Peru in recent days.
In response to the protests, the Peruvian government declared a 30-day state of emergency across the country. The decree makes the Armed Forces join the police to guarantee the maintenance of public safety, in addition to suspending certain rights, such as the freedom to come and go and assemble and the inviolability of the home.
Former President Castillo was transferred to the Barbadillo prison in Lima. On Thursday (15), the Supreme Court of Peru ruled that the former president’s preventive detention must last at least 18 months. The politician is accused of rebellion and conspiracy after a failed coup attempt. He denies the allegations and claims to follow the country’s rightful leader.
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