Amid the violent anti-government protests in Peru, parliament again voted against new elections later this year. After five hours of debate, 68 MPs voted against President Dina Boluarte’s proposal on Wednesday, while only 54 voted in favor.
Boluarte said she would come up with her own proposal if Congress didn’t reach an agreement. The head of state wanted the new elections, which had already been pushed forward to April 2024, to take place this year in order to calm the protests in the country.
Peru has been rocked by serious unrest since the ouster and arrest of left-wing President Pedro Castillo on December 7. In the nationwide protests, the demonstrators are demanding not only the resignation of Castillo’s successor Boluarte, but also the dissolution of parliament in order to hold new elections immediately.
In December, parliament voted by a large majority to bring the elections forward from 2026 to April 2024. Nevertheless, the nationwide protests continued. Boluarte then asked Parliament to hold the election later this year. The deputies rejected this for the third time.
The protests, which have been going on for weeks, have repeatedly resulted in violent confrontations with the security forces, and at least 48 people have already been killed. (AFP, Reuters)
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