First modification:
Through a message to the nation around midnight on April 5, Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced a mandatory social immobilization, as well as the declaration of an emergency in Lima and Callao. The measure was given after having reached an agreement with the Council of Ministers to respond to the strike of carriers that has already completed a week. Rain of criticism in the political world after the adoption of the presidential order.
In a surprising message to the nation, Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced a curfew for this Tuesday, April 5, which began at 2:00 a.m. and will last until 11:59 p.m. local time in the provinces. from Lima and Callao.
“The Council of Ministers has approved declaring citizen immobility from 2:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, to protect the fundamental rights of all people, which will not prevent the supply of essential services” announced the president in his speech around midnight.
The president justified this measure in the facts of “violence” that some “groups have wanted to create”, referring to the roadblocks that have not allowed free transit to the capital, Lima, and to the province of Callao.
Likewise, the Government also decreed a state of emergency in Lima and Callao.
This measure suspends “the constitutional rights related to freedom and personal security, the inviolability of the home and the freedom of assembly and transit,” explained the Castillo Administration.
The rise in prices triggered the strike of carriers
The implementation of the curfew by the Government responds to the protests of the carriers, who blocked important roads in the country, this as part of a strike motivated by the rise in prices at the national level.
Other workers’ unions joined these demonstrations. The confrontation has already left four dead due to circumstances arising from the blockades. In addition, around 20 people have been arrested due to the disturbances originating in different regions of the country.
In the Ica region, the demonstrations led to the burning of five toll booths last Monday, while in the city of Trujillo there were looting in supermarkets and stores. These events supported the excesses that occurred in the city of Huancayo, last weekend.
Rain of criticism for the measure of social immobilization
Faced with the unexpected disposition, the reactions in the political sphere were swift. From the Peruvian Congress, its president, María del Carmen Alva, criticized that the head of state had decreed this measure around midnight. She also recalled that according to article 117 of the Constitution, the president does not have the power to impede the operation of Parliament; for which she announced that the Legislature will continue normally with its agenda scheduled for April 5.
For her part, the first vice-president of Parliament, Lady Camones, indicated that “locking up Peruvians is not the solution” and stressed that protest is “a constitutional right,” so repressing it constitutes “a dictatorship.”
Locking up Peruvians is not the solution. Protest is a constitutional right, repressing it is DICTATORSHIP! @PedroCastilloTe demonstrates their inability to deal with social conflicts.
Anyway, in a few hours, we expect you in Congress, Mr. President.#DemocracyYes— Lady Camones (@LadyCamones) April 5, 2022
Meanwhile, from the Ombudsman’s Office, the entity in charge of ensuring fundamental rights and supervising good public administration, they described the established provision as “unconstitutional”.
Through a releasethis entity pointed out that “the measure adopted by the Executive is unconstitutional due to the absence of due motivation and because it is absolutely disproportionate in relation to the acts of social protest registered in Lima and Callao.”
The Ombudsman’s Office recalled that the Constitutional Court, on several occasions, has indicated that states of emergency, as well as the measures derived from it, must inexcusably respond to the criteria of proportionality and necessity.
Parliamentarians speak out
One of the first congresswomen to speak out was the parliamentarian of the Together for Peru party, Sigrid Bazán, who questioned the presidential announcement and asked for “substantive solutions and not early morning announcements.” Bazan questioned whether enacting a rule to “repress and suspend citizen rights” would help resolve the conflict with carriers.
From another political shore, Congresswoman Susel Paredes indicated that President Castillo, by decreeing compulsory social immobilization in the way he did, leaves the door open for a constitutional accusation.
April 5 will not be remembered only for the “own goal” of an authoritarian ruler, but also for the “own goal” of an inept ruler. What the “coup plotters” and “vacadores” could not do was done by Castillo himself, paving the way for a constitutional accusation. #WaterlooChotano
– Susel Paredes (@suselparedes) April 5, 2022
For his part, the legislator of the Popular Renovation political group, José Cueto, went further and demanded that President Castillo resign from his position, since in his opinion he has wasted “all the opportunities” provided by Congress to carry out a good government.
Cueto also mentioned that Parliament will continue with its scheduled activities and warned the president that “if it stops the work of Congress it will be cause for vacancy.”
This is how Lima woke up after Castillo’s announcement
Faced with the immobility measure decreed by the Executive and announced shortly before midnight, a large part of the population was not aware of the provision, so from very early on they tried to go to carry out their work normally, but since there was no public transport , agglomerations originated in several main roads of the capital.
Given the situation, National Police buses had to be deployed to these points to transfer passengers and thus lighten the load of people at the stations.
However, many continued to wait for transport units because they wanted to get to their work centers anyway, disobeying the measure.
With EFE and local media
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