Demonstrators traveling to Lima leave the town of Ilave near Lake Titicaca on January 17, 2023. JUAN CARLOS CISNEROS / AFP
They get along the Peruvian roads without too much trouble. Mainly from the south of the country, the epicenter of protests for more than a month, thousands of protesters, whose passage the government had threatened to prevent, made their way towards Lima, the capital, on Thursday morning, January 19. Far from feeling intimidated by the state of emergency imposed on January 15 in several regions, empowering the army to do so To intervene alongside the police, they have been organizing in recent weeks to wage their new battle, the “Taking of Lima,” a major demonstration planned for that day. A general strike was also announced, in which many trade unions, farmers’ and student organizations took part.
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Traveling by truck, minivan or bus, the demonstrators from the Andes hope to finally be able to hear their demands from the central power: resignation of President Dina Boluarte, dissolution of the congress and the organization, new elections as soon as possible.
In the processions towards the capital, where songs and slogans are sung, joy and the feeling of fighting for a “noble cause” mix with anger. Indigenous farmers, the country’s most disadvantaged population, who massively voted for Pedro Castillo (left) in the 2021 presidential election, in whom they pinned all their hopes, still do not accept his sacking on December 7, 2022. following his failed coup attempt. All they see is the indifference of Lima’s political class and elites – accused of accumulating wealth thanks to a corrupt system – and the failure of Peru’s democracy to serve the poorest. So they march to Lima. “If we have to walk there, we will, and we will shut down Congress and remove Dina, the usurper of power! shouts a woman on the street.
“March of the 4 Suyos”
If their central claim remains the resignation of Dina Boluarte, a new demand has been added in recent days: a reform of the constitution to finally bury the 1993 text, the legacy of the authoritarian government of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000). Laying the foundations for a neoliberal state, it favors the private sector over the public sector and is now widely regarded as the source of many of the country’s ills. A few months ago, 47% of Peruvians were in favor of convening a Constituent Assembly. According to the latest survey by the Institute for Peruvian Studies (IEP), today it is 69%.
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