Three People Killed in Protests, Peru's New President Boluarte Promises 2024 Elections

JAKARTA - Peru's president said on Monday he would submit a bill to Congress to advance elections by two years, after the overthrow of his predecessor sparked protests that have left at least three people dead.

President Dina Boluarte was sworn in last week after former President Pedro Castillo was fired by Congress and arrested for trying to dissolve the legislature and prevent an impeachment vote against her.

"I have decided to submit a bill to reach an agreement with Congress to advance general elections to April 2024," President Boluarte said in a speech, reported Reuters December 13. Elections were previously scheduled for 2026.

"The motherland is going through difficult times," President Boluarte added.

The new leader, Peru's sixth president in five years, said he would introduce the bill in the "coming days" after two teenagers were killed on Sunday and at least one more on Monday in the southern region of Arequipa, during protests demanding the country hold general elections following the ouster. Castillo.

President Boluarte declared a state of emergency in the "high conflict" area, a move that would allow the armed forces to take more control if necessary.

"I have given instructions so that control of internal order can be restored peacefully, without affecting the basic rights of the people," said Boluarte, regretting the death.

It is known that protests involving hundreds or thousands of people have been held since last week in cities in the interior of Peru and the capital Lima, sometimes turning violent.

Demonstrators, many of them Castillo supporters, have been demanding days that Peru hold new elections, rather than letting Boluarte stay in power until 2026, when Castillo's term will end. Some of the protesters also called for Congress to be closed and for Castillo to be freed.

The protests could be further exacerbated by announcements from both civil and indigenous groups of an indefinite strike starting Monday in Apurimac, home to major mines such as the Las Bambas copper project.

Separately, in a handwritten letter uploaded Monday to his Twitter page, Castillo called Boluarte's early election promise a "dirty game" and derided him as a "usurper".

Castillo insists he is a disgraced kidnap victim and calls for an urgent assembly to rewrite the country's constitution.

Castillo also announced he would not resign as president, even though he was legally removed from power by lawmakers last Wednesday, just hours after his bid to seize power.

For your information, Castillo, who has been in custody since Wednesday, is being investigated by prosecutors on charges of "rebellion" and conspiracy crimes.