The Prime Minister of Peru on Wednesday called on Congress to pass a bill that allows the President Dina Boluarte govern remotely, since the president plans to attend international forums and defend her management of criticism from neighboring countries for the dismissal of her predecessor.
Alberto Otárola affirmed before a legislative commission that the active presence of Boluarte abroad is key to “defending the interests of Peru”, which has experienced a crisis since December with violent protests that left dozens dead after the removal of former leftist president Pedro Castillo.
Boluarte was Castillo’s vice president and when she takes the reins of Peru she has no replacement if she travels abroad, according to the laws of the Andean country, which has had up to six presidents in the last six years amid an intense power struggle between the Government and Congress.
The removal of Castillo, who tried to illegally dissolve Congress, has been rejected by several left-wing presidents in Latin America, mainly by the Mexican Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and the Colombian Gustavo Petro.
“We have seen successive attacks and imprints against the high interests of the country through rulers who have an ideological position and who have decided for several months to confront the political institutions of Peru,” said Otárola. “We have to develop presidential diplomacy,” he said.
At the moment, support for the project is divided in the unicameral Congress, dominated by right-wing parties.
For her part, Foreign Minister Ana Cecilia Gervasi said in Congress that Boluarte must “make direct contact” with her peers in the upcoming international forums, such as the summit of heads of state of South America convened by the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on May 30.
Also in July when the summit of presidents of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union is expected, in Brussels; also in September in New York the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The Peruvian foreign minister affirmed that Boluarte’s presence in San Francisco in November is also important, so that he receives the presidency of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) from US President Joe Biden. In 2024 Peru will host a summit of APEC presidents.
