The President of Peru, Dina Boluarte.Paolo Aguilar (EFE)
Just over a week before the conclusion of two months in government, as the country finds itself in a state of permanent and unsustainable social upheaval, President Dina Boluarte made two announcements this Sunday trying to calm the fire of protests against her : the advance of the elections for this year and the long-awaited amendment of the 1993 Constitution. Boluarte asked the Congress of the Republic to reconsider the further development of the general elections, to be voted on this Monday. “Congressmen, you must be aware of your historical responsibilities. Tomorrow they will have the opportunity to earn the country’s trust and meet this demand so awaited by the Peruvian people. Let’s say to all of Peru with the utmost responsibility: we’re all going.”
The President also stressed that if the Chamber ignores her request, she has a plan b. He will promptly submit a proposal on behalf of the Executive. “This regulatory proposal responds to an urgent need to improve the democratic legitimacy of the country’s political representation. A situation that allows the population to put their main demands on the national political agenda institutionally and not through violence,” he said.
In order to be able to hold the elections in October, the term of office of the president would have to be shortened, as would that of the congressmen and representatives of the Andean parliament. “The first round should take place on the second Sunday in October and the second round in December,” he added. This Sunday’s announcement comes a day after the first protester was killed by police fire in the capital Lima, although 58 people have died since the crisis began last December.
But the advance wasn’t the only big announcement of the evening. Dina Boluarte, the first woman to cross the presidential ribbon, succeeding Pedro Castillo after his frustrated self-coup, announced a second proposal that would have been unimaginable just a few weeks ago: the total reform of the 1993 constitution, promulgated during the Government of Alberto Fujimori. “It aims to settle the debate on constitutional reform once and for all. A topic constantly used by some political forces to undermine any democratic solution to the current situation.”
The President said that the task of the Constitutional Commission would be transferred to the next Congress. “This law fits perfectly with the expectations of another sector of Congress that also wants to enact political reforms through a constituent assembly. There would be no more excuses for this to happen in 2023,” he explained. The initiative, he said, would be put to a referendum and “all the institutions will be able to put forward their contribution to shaping this reform.”
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