Demonstrators demanding the resignation of the president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, as well as new elections in the country They called for a general strike this Thursday, but above all for a large concentration in Lima, where thousands of peasants from the Andes converged in recent days.
This Wednesday, several leaders of the demonstrations affirmed in a press conference that there will be no “democracy or peace” in their country if Boluarte does not resign as head of state.
The Secretary General of the General Confederation of Workers of the
Peru (CGTP), Gerónimo López, added that, even if Boluarte resigns from office, the demonstrations will continue if there is not also a change in the board of directors of Congress, chaired by the conservative José Williams Zapata.
(You can read: Political uncertainty reduces forecasts for economic growth in Peru)
The struggle of the Peruvian people does not end tomorrow, the struggle will continue
Boluarte does not have vice presidents, so his resignation would imply that the president of Congress assumes the head of state by constitutional succession.
During the press conference, held at the CGTP headquarters, the leaders insisted that This Thursday there will be “a national civic-popular strike with peaceful mobilizations.”
“It is a fair, democratic mobilization of citizens who have come from the regions and also from here, from Lima, where they are demanding the immediate resignation of Dina Boluarte, call for new elections this year 2023 and the closure of Congress (… ). It is a national popular civic strike with peaceful mobilizations of organizations from different regions, avoiding any act of vandalism,” he added.
(You can read: Peru: they open a preliminary investigation of Boluarte and ministers for genocide)
The protests so far leave a balance of 42 deaths.
Peru has been experiencing intense protests since the leftist president Pedro Castillo was dismissed by Congress on December 7 and arrested for a failed coup with which he attempted to shut down Parliament, rule by decree, and convene a Constituent Assembly.
(Keep reading: Peru: President Boluarte calls for dialogue to end the protests)
In protests on Wednesday, a woman was killed and another person was injured in clashes with law enforcement in the city of Macusani, in the southern region of Puno, where the courthouse and police station were also reportedly set on fire.
Since last December, protests have left 42 demonstrators and one police officer dead, while another nine people have lost their lives from various causes caused by roadblocks and demonstrations.
Until now it has been impossible to know the scope of the mobilization this Thursday and how many people arrived in Limadespite the various announcements that circulate.
Minute by minute of the protests
Ombudsman calls for calm
After learning of the death of a protester during the protests on Wednesday, the Peruvian Ombudsman’s Office issued a statement in which it asked that the police not use disproportionate force and asked citizens to protest without violence.
Protesters are already blocking roads
Since the early hours of this Thursday morning, Peruvian protesters have blocked the Arequipa-Puno highway, as well as the Junín roads.
Police reinforce security
The authorities of Lima, the capital of Peru, are reinforcing security outside the Congress of the Republic and other places of power, fearing that they will be attacked in the midst of the protests scheduled for this Thursday.
The Jorge Chávez airport in Lima is also guarded by the police.
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