Lima is preparing for undoubtedly decisive days for Peru. Since December 7, the day of the dismissal and then the arrest of President Pedro Castillo, the country has been facing a serious political crisis and major demonstrations.
Starting from the South, the movement won the capital: at the call of various organizations, the opponents of Dina Boluarte, ex-number two of Pedro Castillo who became head of state, have an appointment this Thursday, January 19 in Lima.
The long walk to Lima
From the Andean regions, strongholds of Pedro Castillo, the mobilization is now reaching the capital. For several days, thousands of demonstrators have converged on Lima to demand the departure of former vice-president Dina Boluarte, considered to have betrayed the one of whom she was an ally.
After more than a month of mobilization, and clashes with the police which left 51 dead according to the independent Peruvian authority responsible for human rights, the protesters, including many Aymara and Quechua Indians, believe that it is time to go to the capital. Even if their number is difficult to estimate, the government fears a human tide.
“We know they want to ‘take’ Lima”, recognized Dina Boluarte during a speech at the Constitutional Court, while asking that these mobilizations take place “peacefully and quietly”. In order to cope, the government declared a state of emergency for thirty days in Lima, allowing the army to intervene to maintain order.
Meet at the Place du 2-Mai
The meeting was set this Thursday at 2 p.m. (8 p.m. in France) in the center of Lima, on the Place du 2-Mai. Political groups as well as trade unions have joined the movement. Strike calls were made and a “national march” has been programmed. Universities in the capital have opened their doors to demonstrators who have come from the provinces to accommodate them.
The new president is not the only target of the marchers: they also demand the departure of elected members of Congress, accused for several years by public opinion of pursuing only partisan interests. The Congress is also considered responsible for the fall of the ex-president, deposed by the elected officials.
Moreover, over time, new demands have emerged, including the drafting of a new Constitution, on the model of the debates still in progress in Chile. The current Constitution was promulgated in 1993, under the presidency of Alberto Fujimori.
Chronic instability in Peru
Faced with recurring problems of corruption, Peru has become accustomed, since Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), sentenced for violations of human rights and corruption, to seeing its rulers fall. Presidents often pass – like Pedro Castillo, arrested for having attempted a “coup” and the subject of several investigations – from the presidential palace to the courthouse.
Also accused of corruption, Pedro Castillo’s elected predecessor, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, elected in 2016, resigned two years later to spare himself the humiliation of impeachment. A fate that could not have been avoided by his vice-president, who had taken over. And the next one only lasted five days…
In six years, Peru has known six presidents. And this waltz at the top of the state could continue if the mobilization in Lima is successful. Dina Boluarte has already let go by agreeing to bring forward the presidential election, scheduled for 2026, to next year. But his opponents do not want to wait.