Despite over two months of demonstrations after the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, Peru’s Congress has rejected a proposal to move elections forward to December 2023.
Deliberations on a new plan to organize early elections, a major demand of the demonstrators, will continue. One of numerous motions, the first one was supported by 54 lawmakers, while 68 lawmakers abstained.
Some lawmakers in the incredibly splintered Congress want to serve out their current terms, while others want to go farther and organize a referendum on a new constitution, which is another demand of demonstrators.
Congress had already backed a plan to postpone the elections from 2026 to April 2024, but the change did not end the upheaval that has engulfed the nation.
Protesters have been blocking roads, occupying airports, and torching some structures over the past few weeks. Their demands include early elections, the closure of Congress, the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, and Castillo’s release from prison.
Castillo’s ascent to power in 2021 was made possible by backing from the poorer rural Andean regions and the south of Peru, where some of the most ferocious protests had taken place.
Many of the deaths occurred in rural areas as a result of the government security forces’ crackdown on demonstrators.
Castillo, a former teacher who identified as a communist, served for 17 months as president while being the subject of numerous corruption probes, changing five Cabinets and over 80 ministers.
He attempted to illegally dissolve Congress, which led to his impeachment, arrest, and current pre-trial incarceration. His vice-president Boluarte, who took office a few hours after he was ousted, is Peru’s sixth president in the previous five years.
According to a January poll conducted by local pollster IEP, only 7% of people approve of Congress, which is often criticized for being dishonest and self-serving. At 17 percent, Boluarte performed slightly better, and 73 percent of respondents supported new elections this year.
