Dina Boluarte apologized for the at least 42 deaths
The possibility of resigning was ruled out by the president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, in her speech yesterday, despite the protests that are rocking the Andean country and have claimed the lives of 42 people in five weeks.
The departure of the president from power is one of the central demands of the participants in the mass mobilizations.
“Certain voices of followers of violence and radicals are demanding my resignation, they are inciting (…) chaos, unrest and destruction,” she said before adding: “To them I say responsibly: I will not resign, I have made a commitment to Peru,” Ms. Boluarte said in her address to the nation broadcast on state television.
The head of state also apologized for the dozens of deaths.
Three members of her government resigned within two days: Labor Minister Eduardo Garcia, publicly disagreeing with the government’s handling of the protests; Interior Minister Victor Rojas; and Women and Vulnerable Populations Minister Grecia Rojas.
President Boluarte named and swore in retired police general Vicente Romero as the new minister of the interior – he had held the same portfolio in 2018, during the days of former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski – new minister of Women and Vulnerable Populations Nancy Tolentino and new minister of Labor Luis Alfonso Adriansen.
The Ombudsman, an independent human rights watchdog, says at least 42 people have died, including a police officer who was burned alive in a patrol car by protesters, since the current crisis erupted.
The protests erupted after the suspension, arrest and pretrial detention on December 7 of former leftist President Pedro Castillo, who was accused of a coup when he tried to dissolve Congress, which was preparing to oust him from office.
Mrs. Boluarte, his vice-president until that day, succeeded him, as the Constitution dictates. The protesters, who call her a “traitor,” are demanding she step down, shut down parliament, hold immediate elections, which have already been brought up by a congressional decision — to be held early in April 2024 instead of 2026 — and to release the former head of state, who has been in prison for 18 months and is accused of “posture” and “conspiracy”.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), whose mission completed its visit to assess the situation yesterday, has requested an impartial investigation into the suppression of the demonstrations, judging that there are indications of “use of excessive force”.
A few hours later, the Peruvian attorney general’s office began conducting eleven preliminary investigations into the deaths of protesters. Earlier this week, Attorney General Patricia Benavides announced that she had opened a preliminary investigation into “genocide” against President Bolluarte, current and former members of her government.
For Edgar Steward—the head of the IAEA mission—a broad national dialogue is urgent. Mr. Stewardo pointed out in his statements to the press that the endless conflict between the legislative and executive branches has undermined the trust of Peruvians in the institutions. This conflict is a key component of the political crisis in Peru, which has seen six presidents and three parliaments in five years.
“We will wait and see what happens in the coming days,” Mr. Stewardos told reporters after three days of contacts by the mission with the authorities, social organizations, victims and their relatives. “We hope there will be no more deaths,” he added.
RES-EMP
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