OAS asks the government of Peru to call general elections promptly

The Organization of American States (OAS) on Monday asked the Peruvian government to call general elections promptly and noted his concern about the excessive use of force during the protests against President Dina Boluarte.

Through a resolution, adopted by all OAS member countries with the exception of El Salvador, the Permanent Council of the organization asked Peru “to promptly hold fair, free, and transparent elections.”

The document was presented to the plenary session of the organization by the permanent mission of Colombia, with the support of Haiti, Honduras and Antigua and Barbuda.

The OAS countries also noted their concern about the excessive use of force in response to the protests in the country. The document calls for the adoption of “effective measures” for accountability for the “acts of violence” that have occurred in Peru.

In turn, it requests the Peruvian Government to respect due process for the people who have been arrested during the demonstrations.

(You can read: Peru: what will happen if Congress does not approve evaluating the early elections?)

Peruvian Foreign Minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi will travel to Washington on Monday to meet with “high authorities” of the US Government and with legislators from the US Congress.

Peru’s Prosecutor’s Office announced Saturday that it was investigating the death of a protester in Lima as an alleged homicide. in the context of “violation of human rights” during the protests.

This death brings the death toll to 65. since the anti-government protests began last December demanding the resignation of the president, the closure of Congress, early general elections and the calling of a constituent assembly.

(You can read: Peru withdraws its ambassador in Honduras for not knowing the Boluarte government)

Boluarte assumed power in Peru on December 7 after Pedro Castillo’s failed coup attempt.

Demonstrations rejecting the president began in the south of the country as soon as she took office and spread to almost the entire territory, after the first deaths from police repression occurred.

Government, awaiting the decision of Congress

Meanwhile, the president of the Council of Ministers of Peru, Alberto Otárola, declared this Monday that The Government is “waiting for the decision of Congress” on the request to advance the elections for this year and that they are “sure that there will be a way out” of the political and social crisis that has shaken the country in recent months.

In statements to the media, Otárola said that in the Executive’s proposals there is “a consolidated idea to seek solutions or successive approximations to the serious crisis that we are going through in the country”, since the president Dina Boluarte herself has insisted on the need for Parliament approves the advancement of the general elections, as demanded by the protests in the streets.

(Also: Peru promises the UN to investigate complaints about police violence)

In this sense, the Prime Minister pointed out that they are now “waiting for the decision of Congress”, but that within the Executive they are “sure that there will be a way out, in the understanding that all the benches have a high sense of urgency regarding the situation of the country”.

Hours before, Congress approved a request to reconsider last Friday’s vote that rejected a project for Peru’s general elections to be brought forward to next October.

In this way, the Legislature will debate again to seek a consensus that allows reaching the 87 votes necessary to accept the early elections that, if approved, must be voted on again in the next legislature, as it is a constitutional reform.

*With information from AFP and EFE