At least 55 people have been killed and more than 500 police officers injured in clashes across the country since the unrest began, according to the National Ombudsman’s Office and the Interior Ministry. The Peruvian police refer to compliance with international standards. However, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), gunshot wounds were found in the heads and upper bodies of victims during the protests.
Some Peruvian lawmakers have since tabled a motion to impeach President Boluarte, citing “permanent moral incompetence,” a document seen by Reuters says. The motion, signed by more than 20 left-wing congressmen who support Castillo, must pass by 52 votes before it can be debated in Congress.
Parliament rejects new elections this year
In view of the ongoing protests, Boluarte has asked parliament to hold early elections later this year. Parliament, however, rejected her request with a majority of MPs. Parliament President Jose Williams received another request shortly after the vote to “review” the vote again. However, it would be difficult to revise the result.
Castillo as a failed hope
Castillo’s presidency itself had been extremely chaotic. The former village school teacher wanted to forestall a vote of no confidence in December and dissolved the congress, which parliament then removed from office. He was arrested on charges of an attempted coup and is now in custody.
The pace of current events is not unusual for Peru, where another president has been ousted and two others have resigned since 2018. However, the level of violence that followed Castillo’s impeachment marks a new and tragic escalation of a years-long crisis, according to the US journal Foreign Affairs.
After decades of discrimination, the poorer population in rural regions in particular saw the opportunity for change in Castillo – after all, among other things, he had announced a new constitution and made far-reaching promises for the indigenous population. But soon after taking office, Castillo gave up his promises. While some of his supporters have expressed disappointment, many still blame Castillo’s failure on the corruption hated parliament.
Corruption as a national problem
The US magazine Foreign Policy writes that Peruvian corruption is also the root of the great dissatisfaction that is currently leading to the brutal clashes between the police and demonstrators. In almost all public institutions in Peru one sees “unbridled bribery”. The motto “Roba pero hace obras” (“He steals, but he carries out public works”) illustrates how jaded the population already is, according to Foreign Policy.
So it is completely normal to appease traffic police with a lemonade or to pay employees in the Ministry of Migration money to get your passport issued faster. Of course, the same applies to larger dimensions: for example, the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht is said to have paid the then President Alejandro Toledo 20 million dollars for a contract to build sections of the Interoceanic Highway in the early 2000s.
Highest death rate during pandemic
According to a 2022 study by the anti-corruption organization Transparency International, almost two-thirds of Peruvians feel that their family’s finances have been directly damaged by bribery. The country’s overall economic development is also being slowed down by corrupt processes and the implementation of public policy is being sabotaged. There are many construction sites, from inadequate education and food insecurity to the health care crisis, which reached its sad climax during the CoV pandemic with the highest death rate in the world.
Although Peru’s economy has largely recovered from the consequences of the pandemic, many people have the feeling that the at least financial recovery is not reaching them: According to the World Bank, poverty reduction in Peru is progressing slowly, and the gap between rich and poor is widening . Almost every third citizen lives in poverty, especially in rural areas many have to live without drinking water, electricity and access to health care.
“Entire system manipulated in favor of the powerful”
“Obviously, when you have a chief of city services who’s appointed because he’s the mayor’s cousin or paid the mayor money under the table rather than because he’s qualified for the job, then obviously it becomes inefficient and inadequate public service.” Giving services,” said Samuel Rotta, executive director of Transparency International.
Peru’s parliament is considered corrupt by 60 percent of Peruvians. It was also Parliament that first ignored abuses and scandals by the Castillo government and then launched an attack on the legitimacy of Castillo’s surprise election victory by rejecting 200,000 votes from mostly indigenous voters who supported Castillo, according to Foreign Policy. .
“This constant barrage of scandals shapes people’s perceptions that the entire system is rigged against them and in favor of those in power,” Noam Lupu, a political scientist at Vanderbilt University and director of AmericasBarometer, told US magazine. “It creates a sense of impunity that permeates the state, from local bureaucrats like the traffic police taking bribes to high-level corruption.”
“Chronic deficiencies” in state infrastructure
Peru is one of the youngest democracies in North, Central and South America – free and fair elections were only reintroduced in 2001. However, the past two decades since the reintroduction of democracy have not brought better living conditions, the broadcaster CNN reported. Although the economy has flourished, the state has not managed to remedy “chronic deficiencies” in the areas of security, justice and education.
In the meantime, political measures have already been tried to curb corruption – but without success. For example, during his 2018-2020 tenure, former President Martin Vizcarra forced lawmakers to adopt reforms such as introducing party primaries, curtailing parliamentary immunity and banning those with current criminal records from running for public office. Eventually he was charged with bribery himself.
Democracy eaten away by corruption
There is no denying that the unrest in Peru is rooted in “rooted discrimination and inequality,” according to Foreign Policy. Currently, however, it is becoming apparent how a democracy “is eaten away by corruption while it is still alive”. Even if the demands of the demonstrators were implemented and new elections were held, these would probably not lead to any improvement in the long term without the prospect of a comprehensive anti-corruption package.
January 2023 marks the temporary low point of the Peruvian crisis, writes “Foreign Affairs”. Without a swift response from the Boluarte government — such as taking responsibility for the violent riots at the protests — it could in hindsight prove a missed opportunity to save Peru’s democracy and stability from an even greater disintegration.
