Lawmakers Block New Election Bid In Peru

Peruvian lawmakers have once again blocked the President’s attempt to bring elections forward to 2023.

Protesters have been demanding new elections, but congress has refused to make it happen.

President Dina Boluarte’s proposal for the new vote was rejected Friday by a congressional committee on a technicality before the bill could even be debated.

Report says Peru has been in crisis since early December when then-President Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve congress and rule by decree. Bouluarts was Castillo’s Vice President.

Meanwhile, dozens of people have been killed in almost daily protests that have swept the country since Castillo’s arrest.

Lawmakers have, however, moved the elections that were originally slated for 2026 up to April 2024.

VOA/Christopher Ojilere