Peru’s president supports elections later this year

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte called on Congress on Friday to pass a proposal to move the election to later this year, a clear concession from the leader who faces daily protests that have left nearly 60 people dead.

Boluarte had already expressed support for holding national elections in April 2024, rather than the previously planned 2026, but support appears to be growing among lawmakers to bring them forward even earlier, to December 2023.

Moving the election to later this year could help the country “get out of this quagmire,” Boluarte said Friday after taking part in an event to publicize the government’s efforts to bring medicines and other goods to an Andean region. at a time when protesters have blocked several major highways as part of anti-government demonstrations.

Boluarte, the former vice president, became president on December 7 after her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was impeached for trying to dissolve Congress. He was later arrested and detained.

Protests soon erupted across the country with protesters taking to the streets to demand Boluarte’s resignation and the dissolution of Congress.

“Protests continue, there are more blockades and violence,” Boluarte said, noting that she had spoken with ministers about the possibility of moving the election forward. “I am here because I have assumed responsibility and will be here until Congress sets a date. Therefore, I ask, come to an agreement.”

Boluarte added that she had no interest in “remaining in the presidency”.

Protests against Boluarte were concentrated in remote areas, largely in the south, where voters had a particular affinity for Castillo, the first Peruvian president from a rural background in the Andes. Last week, thousands of protesters descended on Lima and staged near-daily demonstrations in the center of Peru’s capital.

Boluarte has spoken out against the demonstrations, labeling them violent and claiming they are funded by illegal miners and drug traffickers in an attempt to create chaos for political gain. She also praised the police, who have used tear gas and bullets to repel protesters in Lima.