Peru: President Dina Boluarte Government Declares National Emergency Amid Protests

After violent protests led to the ouster of then-President Pedro Castillo, Peru's new government declared a national emergency on Wednesday, restricting "personal security and freedom" rights for 30 days across the Andean nation.

Defense Minister Luis Otarola Pearanda has stated that the government must respond harshly and decisively to acts of destruction, violence, and highway blockades as thousands of Peruvians take to the streets.

The right to peacefully assemble and travel have both been suspended, and the police, with the support of the military, are now free to search people's homes without a warrant or a judge's approval.

Otarola said a curfew during the evening hours has not been implemented at this time.

According to Associated Press News, over the past week, Peru has been plagued by political turbulence and crisis that have harmed the country's stability.

The fundamental concept of authority that may manage the country in some way has been called into question, according to Jorge Aragón, a professor of political science at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

The order, he noted, is a way of wanting to recover a specific minimum stability, a particular minimum functioning of the country; but obviously, it is also the recognition that without that use of force, that cannot be achieved.

The defense minister announced that the council of ministers had approved the proclamation. Still, it did not mention Dina Boluarte, who was sworn in as president of Peru by Congress hours after lawmakers ousted Castillo last week.

Meanwhile, rallies against Boluarte and Congress continued, despite her pleas for peace.

What Caused the Violence That Led to National Emergency?

Rioters in Peru demanded the return of former president Pedro Castillo, who was expelled after he attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree to avoid impeachment over corruption charges.

Ronal Carrera, 32, a construction worker from Junn in the central Andes of Peru who traveled to the capital of Lima to demonstrate, said, "First of all, we do not recognize Dina Boluarte."

Carrera claims the new president is a coup leader and that their president is still Pedro Castillo, whom they are attempting to have reinstated.

At least eight people, including five teenagers, were killed in clashes with police in the first week, said The Guardian. Amnesty International and other national human rights organizations allege that all of them were killed by police violence and shot.

"Peru cannot overflow with blood," Boluarte said Wednesday, stating that they already went through it in the '80s and '90s. She added she doubts that many of them want to go through it again, alluding to the 70,000 Peruvian who lost their lives during the country's civil war against the Shining Path militants.

Violence in Peru Keeps on Growing

The political situation in Peru has remained the same, per BBC.

At her inauguration as president, Dina Boluarte said she would serve the remainder of Pedro Castillo's term, which was supposed to end in July 2026.

On December 12, five days later, Boluarte proposed shifting elections up by two years to April 2024. Then she recommended moving up the election date to December 14, 2023.

As of December 14, the defense minister has proclaimed a 30-day state of emergency to focus on putting down the protests that have erupted since she took power.

But as more protesters are murdered in clashes with police forces, anger among Pedro Castillo's supporters is only anticipated to grow.

Those restricted from moving about freely and whose jobs have been disrupted because of the protests are also becoming increasingly frustrated.

Boluarte has asked for time and space to unite the country since her inauguration, but she is unlikely to get it.

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Written by: Bert Hoover

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