Peru’s Congress dissolution: protests escalate around the nation

Peruvian ex-President Pedro Castillo, who led the country since 2021 and was elected in an important democratic occurance, stepped down last week. 

Castillo’s short presidency ended when he attempted to suspend congress ‘temporarily’. In light of multiple corruption allegations, the government, its ministers, and his political allies deserted him instantly.

Meanwhile, congress voted overwhelmingly to remove him. Is this an ‘autogolpe’? Castillo attempted to obtain absolute power. 

The ex-vice-president Dina Boluarte replaced him, and is now leading Peru as the first female president. Following the new government, many people have been protesting, and violent protests have occurred after the arrest of Castillo’s ex-president, remaining in pre-trial detention for 18-months.

Indeed, people have been demanding new elections and rejecting the decisions of the new former President. Rebellion is on the streets and several acts of violence have occurred. Most of the episodes have been taking place around the country, more in the south as people support Castillo’s presidency.

Furthermore, Leonidas Iza Salazar - official President of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, Ecuador's largest indigenous rights organization - expressed his indignation at the massacre in Ayacucho, where the death toll rises. 

He posted a tweet stating: “The massacre perpetrated by the armed forces and the police yesterday, December 15th, is mainly the responsibility of Mrs. Dina Boluarte and of the mostly ultra-right-wing congress, which we denounce once again before Peru and the world”.

On Wednesday 14 December, the government declared the country in a ‘state of emergency’ for a 30-day period, in response to the violent strike. The new country’s state limits freedom, the liberty of assembly, and freedom of transit. 

As a part of the new measures, five airports in Peru are closed. Some airlines announced the suspension of flights including SKY, LATAM, and JetSMART until the conditions guarantee the safety of passengers and tourists.

The attack on Sunday 11 highlighted a lot of problems: “The Arequipa (AQP) terminal was attacked on the morning of Monday 12 and although the police operation prevented the takeover of the airport, it is not clear when it will be able to return to normal operations”, Aviac reported.

The president needed a dialogue, and spoke with leaders from Latin America and Europe, looking to shore up international support. The support of Spain’s president Sanchez Castejon looks likely, “who expressed the support of the Spanish government and people in the defence of the rule of law, the strengthening of Peruvian democracy and the development of the country”, as the Boluarte expressed on Twitter. 

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