Almost three months after the coup against the government of Pedro Castillo and the emergence of the de facto government of Dina Boluartethe crisis in Peru is far out of control. According to the latest daily report of the Ombudsmandated Wednesday, so far 56 civilians have been killed by the police, and the number of injured amounts to a total of 979 people.
In other words, Boluarte, who, after Castillo’s imprisonment, assumed the presidency of Peru on December 7, accumulates more deaths than days of de facto government. In any case these are official figuresand therefore it is necessary to take them with tweezers, the number of victims It’s probably much bigger.
Boluarte ratified his support for the Armed forces in a conference addressed to the Foreign Press Association this Tuesday.
There is evidence that the police and the armed forces have shot citizens directly, something that the Boluarte government continues to deny. Well, for actions like this, the Prime Minister Alberto Otárolahas considered that the members of the National Police and the Armed forces they deserve to receive economic compensation and will distribute a bonus, (that is, an extra pay), for their “great work controlling the protests.”
In his speech before the Foreign Press Association, Boluarte also referred to the citizens of the regions of Fist Y apurimacwhere the largest number of victims have been registered due to the police repressionincluding minors.
In his speech, Boluarte also pointed out that these protests were generated by a group of radical people who are dedicated to drug traffickingillegal mining and smuggling.
Since the crisis began, there have been pronouncements by numerous regional governments, such as that of apurimac, Cusco either Fist, of some professional associations, such as that of lawyers or teachers, and of indigenous and trade union organizations. In general terms, they all agree on four points:
1. Support and solidarity with the legitimate protests and condemnation of police repression. Something that has already been denounced by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rightsthe Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nationsthe European Union and several countries in the region.
2. The demand for the resignation of Boluarte and the electoral advance to 2023. This demand is aligned with popular sentiment, according to a survey of CID-Gallup83% of Peruvians do not feel represented by it and 63% want an electoral advance.
3. The change of the board of directors of the Congress to form a temporary and exceptional transitional government.
4. The call for a constituent Assembly to write a new one Constitution for Peru.
According to opinion polls conducted in recent years, the fujimorista constitution would be obsolete For two years, every time they are asked, practically 80% of Peruvians have stated that they want changes to the current constitution or, directly, to be changed to a new one. new constitution.
In fact, according to a survey of the Institute of Peruvian Studies Almost 70% of those surveyed would be in favor of calling a constituent Assembly to change the Constitution. This survey is from this same month of January and contrasts with the answer that Peruvians gave to this same question less than a year ago, in May 2022, when less than half of Peruvians were in favor of starting a constituent process .
And this despite the fact that the same Peruvian right that resists the opening of a constituent process is already changing the Constitution. As denounced by the Peruvian political communicator Laura Arroyowith whom we have here at the table, the Congress of Deputies (which we remember has a 9% approval rate), is trying to change 50 articles of the Constitution with its back to the public. In other words, there is already a de facto Constituent Assembly, but it is in the Congress of Deputies.
How can there always be a suturing of the crisis from above, from the elites, or from below, if it is possible to translate popular discontent into political organization to articulate a Constituent process. However, despite popular disapproval, despite the resignations that have accumulated within his ministerial team (since Boluarte has occupied the presidency of the country, six ministers have submitted his resignation), despite the international reviewsBoluarte is holding on to the position and plans to stay until 2024.
An intermediate way between the authoritarian closure of the current government and the opening of a citizen constituent process would be a voluntary resignation of Boluarte and the board of directors of the Parliamentthat a kind of provisional transitional government be set up with representatives of all political forces and that later elections be called with democratic guarantees and international observers.
