Amidst violent anti-government protests in Peru, parliament again voted against new elections later this year. After five hours of debate, 68 deputies voted against President Dina Boluarte’s proposal on Wednesday, while only 54 voted in favor.
Boluarte said he would present his own proposal if Congress did not reach an agreement. The head of state wanted the new elections, which had already been postponed to April 2024, to take place this year to calm the protests in the country.
The Tagesspiegel app Current news, background information and analysis directly on your smartphone. Plus the digital newspaper. Download here for free.
Peru has been rocked by serious unrest since the overthrow and arrest of leftist President Pedro Castillo on Dec. In protests across the country, demonstrators are demanding not only the resignation of Castillo’s successor, Boluarte, but also the dissolution of parliament for immediate new elections.
In December, parliament voted by a large majority to bring the 2026 elections forward to April 2024. However, protests across the country continued. Boluarte then asked Parliament to hold the election later this year. Deputies rejected this a third time.
The weeks-long protests have repeatedly resulted in violent clashes with security forces, and at least 48 people have been killed. (AFP, Portal)
to the homepage