(Lima) A month into Peruvian President Dina Boluarte’s term in office, protests calling for her resignation that left 22 people dead continued on Friday as the country seeks a way out of the crisis.
In the region of Puno, in the south-east of the country, clashes between demonstrators and security forces injured 10 civilians and four among the police, according to the office of the Ombudsman.
They took place near the airport in the city of Juliaca, which authorities said was closed for maintenance.
“We respect the right of the people to demonstrate peacefully, but the message from the majority is that we do not want instability to continue in our country. […] we want to live in peace,” Ms.me Boluarte during an official ceremony.
Demonstrations resumed on Wednesday in several regions after a break for the holiday season. So far, 22 people have died and more than 600 have been injured, notably during violent clashes in the center and south of the country, where deposed President Pedro Castillo has many supporters.
Dina Boluarte, who replaced him in December, is the sixth person to occupy the presidency in five years, in a country which is experiencing a permanent political crisis punctuated by suspicions of corruption.
The demonstrations began after the dismissal by Parliament and then the arrest on December 7 of Mr. Castillo, at the origin of an attempt to dissolve it described as a “coup d’etat”.
Protesters demand the resignation of Mr.me Boluarte, a new Parliament and the immediate holding of elections, already brought forward from 2026 to April 2024.
“Boluarte’s government is extremely weak, as shown by the fact that it uses force […] He made a mistake in his alliances by approaching forces that not only lost the elections, but refused to recognize him,” believes political scientist Alonso Cárdenas.
“The military response has subsided […]but the government is already seriously affected by its original sin,” he said.
On Thursday, the president called for dialogue, inviting disgruntled citizens to meet with the government to find a way out of the crisis.
She announced the holding next week of a “National Accord”, which must bring together public authorities, civil society, religious groups, economic actors and workers in order “to address urgent issues to achieve peace social”.