The parliament in Peru has rejected a request by President Dina Boluarte to bring the elections forward to next October in view of the severe political crisis. After seven hours of debate, 65 MPs voted against Boluarte’s proposal, 45 MPs were in favor. Two others abstained.
Parliament had already voted for early elections
With the elections being brought forward again, Boluarte hoped to end the protests that had been going on for weeks. Last month, Parliament voted by a large majority in favor of snap elections in April 2024. Nevertheless, the protests continued. As a result, Boluarte asked parliament on Friday to hold the election later this year.
Peru’s President Dina Boluarte
Peru has been rocked by serious unrest since the ouster and arrest of left-wing President Pedro Castillo on December 7. In nationwide protests, the demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Castillo’s successor and party colleague Boluarte, the dissolution of parliament in order to hold new elections immediately.
47 fatalities so far
There were repeated bloody confrontations with the security forces, and at least 47 people were killed. A state of emergency has now been declared for almost a third of the Andean country. The demonstrations and road blockades are now leading to shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies in Peru.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
No access to the Inca ruined city of Machu Picchu
Amid renewed clashes between demonstrators and police at anti-government protests across the country, the Ministry of Culture has barred access to the famous Inca ruined city of Machu Picchu. A statement from the ministry said the step was necessary “in view of the current social situation in our region”.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
Demonstrators paralyze railway lines
In Peru, the ongoing protests against President Dina Boluarte are increasingly affecting tourism, which is important for the country. According to the Ministry of Tourism, “418 local and foreign tourists” were evacuated over the weekend from the area of the previously closed Inca ruins of Machu Picchu due to interrupted railway connections.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
Stranded tourists in Cusco
Because of the closure, more than 400 stranded tourists, including 300 from abroad, have been brought to nearby Cusco, the Peruvian news agency Agencia Andina reported. In view of the bloody unrest, Pope Francis called on the hostile political camps in the South American country to engage in dialogue and peace.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
It’s been brewing for weeks
Last week, protesters and police officers in the capital Lima clashed again during protests against the Peruvian government. The protests have continued in recent days. The government opponents hurled stones and firecrackers at the police, who in turn responded with batons and volleys of tear gas.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
“Taking Lima”
Thousands of people came to Lima on Thursday (01/19/2023) under the motto “Toma de Lima” (capture of Lima), mainly from southern Peru. The conflict escalated after President-elect Pedro Castillo was ousted a month ago and arrested on charges of an attempted coup. He has been in custody since then.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
Anger at the interim president
The demonstrators have identified Dina Boluarte’s government as their main opponent. In chants, they loudly demanded their resignation. Meanwhile, this announces consequences for those “who want to create chaos and disorder”.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
The country is deeply divided
The protests are the most violent since autocrat Alberto Fujimori was overthrown in 2000 and show the country’s deep division between an economic elite largely concentrated in Lima and the populace in the poor rural areas where Pedro Castillo has his power base.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
Demand: “Close Congress!”
The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of the head of state, the dissolution of the congress and the release of the imprisoned ex-president Pedro Castillo. At times, the main streets of Lima turned into a pedestrian zone. While many of them have come from the poorer regions of the Andes, they have also been joined in Lima by numerous student and union representatives.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
Peru at a turning point?
According to media reports, the police in Lima have cleared a university occupied by government opponents. Pedro Mamani, a student at the National University of San Marcos, sees his country at a “crossroads between dictatorship and democracy.”
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
protests across the country
In the city of Arequipa, one person was killed and ten others were injured as around 1,000 protesters attempted to storm the city’s airport. A relaxation is not in sight: “It will not end today and not tomorrow, but only when we have reached our goals,” said David Lozada on the sidelines of the protests in Lima, expressing what many demonstrators think.
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Continued protests in Peru: Machu Picchu closed
Hundreds arrested in Lima
So far, the police have arrested around 200 people in the capital. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Peru called on the police after the operation to be proportionate. The unrest in Peru began after the ouster of left-leaning ex-president Pedro Castillo in early December. More than 50 people have died so far, most of them on the part of the demonstrators.
Author: Philipp Böll (cd/dh)
The political crisis that has been going on for months has also severely damaged the country’s tourism industry. Since June last year, the losses have totaled the equivalent of 5.7 million euros a day, said Tourism Minister Luis Fernando Helguero. Up to 85 percent of trips have been canceled. Among other things, the minister referred to the situation at the famous Inca ruined city of Machu Picchu, at the foot of which hundreds of tourists were stranded.
Foreign Office issues travel warning
Like many other countries, the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin is currently advising against unnecessary trips to Peru.
nob/pg (afp, lusa)
Source: DW
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