President Boluarte, who made daily presentations and statements before his death on January 9, has not appeared or spoken in public since.
Anti-government protests continued to spread today, with more roadblocks, demonstrations and strikes in Peru, and calls for President Dina Boluarte’s resignation as a way out of the crisis.
Tensions run high in the city of Cusco the day after the 47th victim was shot dead, a cumulative number across the country since protests began, following the December 7 removal and imprisonment of former President Pedro Castillo.
Police have surrounded Cusco airport to prevent protesters from approaching less than 300 meters from the terminal, which was the scene of riots that spread to other parts of the city.
In the incidents, Remo Candia was killed by a gun and 56 injured, including seven police officers and 11 detainees, including a Colombian national.
The cities of Moquegua in the south of the country; and Puerto Maldonado in the southern Amazon led to a series of walkouts while roadblocks spread to 26 provinces, and in the southern Tacna region a group of farmers blocked the Pan-American Highway near the border crossing into Chile.
In the Arequipa region, the blockade of the Panamericana was resumed, blocking the coast road that leads to Lima and the rest of the Peruvian coast, and in the eponymous regional capital, small grocery store merchants marched with black flags of duel.
On the other hand, the National Assembly of Governors and human rights activists like Mar Pérez agreed that the crisis can only be resolved with the resignation of President Boluarte, an option ruled out by the government, which says that if the president resigns, chaos will ensue.
The main bastion of protest remains the southern Andean region of Puno, where the population of the city of Juliaca took to the streets yesterday to join the funeral procession of the 17 civilians who were shot dead on January 9, the next day a police officer who set on fire by a group.
In both Juliaca and Puno and other parts of the country, groups of farmers are preparing to travel to Lima to protest in front of the government seat.
Prime Minister Alberto Otárola said two days ago, with the approval of the right-wing and center parliamentary majority when he received support, that the Cabinet’s executive branch and its defense of police and military action will not allow what they called for in advance of a coup d’etat against the capital.
Meanwhile, President Boluarte, who made daily presentations and statements before his death on January 9, has not appeared in public or spoken publicly since.
(With information from Prensa Latina and TeleSUR)
