Peru’s president urges Congress to schedule general elections

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has urged the country’s Congress to pass a proposal to bring forward general elections.

Boluarte made the disclosure in a news conference from the presidential palace on Saturday.

“I demand that the vote to bring elections up be reconsidered,” Boluarte said, criticizing Congress members who had previously abstained from voting.

Formerly Peru’s vice president, Boluarte assumed the presidency earlier this month after leftist then-President Pedro Castillo tried to dissolve Congress illegally and was arrested.

She countered protesters asking for her to step down, saying “that does not solve the problem” and that she had done her part by sending the bill to Congress.

On Friday, Peru’s Congress rejected the proposed constitutional reform to move elections forward to December 2023. Some members of Congress have called for the legislature to reconsider the proposal.

Boluarte also dismissed calls for a constitutional assembly, saying it was “not the time.” Some leftist leaders have called for the assembly, which would redraft Peru’s 1993 constitution, to boost the state’s role in the economy.

She said there would also be a reshuffling of her Cabinet in the coming days, following the resignation of the education minister and culture minister Friday.

“We will have a recomposition of the Cabinet, to be able to install knowledgeable ministers in each sector,” Boluarte said.

Also Read: Peruvians await final results of presidential vote

The Cabinet departures Friday raise questions about the longevity of Boluarte’s government, which has been rocked by political turbulence.

Protests since the arrest of former President Castillo, who is in pre-trial detention while facing charges of rebellion and conspiracy, have crippled Peru’s transport system, shuttering airports and blocking highways.

On Wednesday, Boluarte’s government announced a state of emergency, granting police special powers and limiting citizens’ rights, including the right to assembly.

Protesters have also blockaded Peru’s borders, leaving tourists stranded and strangling trade.

Reuters /Zainab Sa’id