Called The General Election Can Be Advanced Until December 2023, President Of Peru Bouarte: We Can't Dialogue If There Is Violence

JAKARTA - Peru President Dina Bouarte said elections in the country could be moved to 2023, but asked the public to be calm and not to commit violence.

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 support Castillo, for days demanding Peru hold new elections, rather than keeping Boiarte in power until 2026, when Castillo's term would end. Several protesters also called for Congress to close and Castillo be released.

President Boarte, who last Monday said the election could be pushed forward to 2024, announced it could be pushed forward until December 2023, with analysis being carried out in accordance with applicable regulations.

He indicated the matter was one of the topics discussed at the State Council, attended by Jose Williams Zapata Congress Speaker and National Election Council Head Jorge Salas Arenas.

"These are institutions that verify the schedule for the initial election that I have submitted depending on; in legal terms, the schedule will be suitable for April 2024. However, making a re-adjustment yesterday while speaking, this can be moved forward to December 2023," he explained, as reported by Andina December 15.

President Bouarte further said holding elections before that date was "not legally appropriate." Therefore, President Bouarte appealed to those asking for early elections to remain "within the legal and constitutional limits".

He explained that the schedule, to advance elections, did not depend on it but on the Republican Congress and the National Election Council.

Speaking from the presidential palace, President Bouarte also called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid violence.

"From here, I call on brothers and sisters, Peru in general, to remain calm. The Dina Bouarte government from the start said it would be a dialogued government. But we cannot dialogue if there is violence. Therefore, we must be calm," he exclaimed.

"The only thing I can tell you is to stay calm. We've had that experience in the 1980s and 1990s, and we don't want to go back to that painful experience, which marks the lives and faces of thousands of Peruvians. On the other hand, we want peace and peace, and in that calm, let's start talking," he said.

It is known that Dina Bouarte was officially sworn in as president on December 7, replacing Pedro Castillo, who was constitutionally impeached and dismissed from office after trying to dissolve Congress.

As previously reported, the Peruvian Defense Minister declared a national state of emergency on Wednesday which will take effect in the next few hours, allowing soldiers to assist police in safeguarding public safety after a week of heated protests and road blockades.

Protests were sparked by the overthrow of Pedro Castillo. Six people, mostly teenagers, died in clashes with police, authorities said. All were victims of gunfire, according to human rights groups. Protesters blockaded the highway, burned buildings and stormed the airport.

"We have agreed to announce a state of emergency across the country, due to acts of vandalism and violence," Defense Minister Alberto OtIMprola told reporters.

"This requires a strong response from the government," he said, adding that it meant the suspension of certain freedoms, including the right to assembly, a house that cannot be contested and transit freedoms.