Peru heads for early election

New Peruvian President Dina Boluarte will seek to hold elections two years early and has declared a state of emergency after protests following the arrest of her predecessor.

People take cover from teargas thrown by the police during clashes at a demonstration in Lima on Sunday. Picture: AFP

New Peruvian President Dina Boluarte will seek to hold elections two years early and has declared a state of emergency after protests following the arrest of her predecessor left two people dead.

Demonstrators across the country – notably in northern and Andean towns – had been calling for fresh elections, along with a national strike and the release of leftist former president Pedro Castillo, who was removed from office on Wednesday for attempting to dissolve congress and rule by decree.

“Interpreting the will of the citizens … I have decided to take the initiative to reach an agreement with the Congress of the Republic to advance general elections to the month of April of 2024,” Ms Boluarte said in a televised address late on Sunday, noting that a bill on moving the poll forward from 2026 would be submitted in the coming days.

She added that, “with the same patriotic sentiment”, she was declaring a “state of emergency in areas of high social ­conflict in order to peacefully” restore order.

Ms Boluarte, a former prosecutor who had served as Mr Castillo’s vice-president, was quickly sworn in to replace him following his impeachment and subsequent arrest last week.

The ousted president was arrested Wednesday while on his way to the Mexican embassy to seek asylum, and prosecutors have charged him with rebellion and conspiracy. The demands for new elections come as polls show nearly nine in 10 Peruvians disapprove of the legislature.

AFP