Peru: President Dina Bolluarte rules out resignation amid political crisis

It can Peru has been rocked by protests that have claimed the lives of 42 people in five weeks, but the country’s president, Dina Bolluarte, rules out the possibility of stepping down, even though her departure from power is among the central demands of the participants in the mass mobilizations.

“Some voices of followers of violence and radicals demand my resignation, incite (…) chaos, unrest and destruction” he said before adding: “To them I say responsibly: I will not resign, I have made a commitment to Peru”Ms. Bolovarte said in a speech to the nation broadcast on state television.

The head of state also apologized for the at least 42 deaths.

Prosecutor’s investigation into the dead

The Peruvian Attorney General’s Office began conducting eleven preliminary investigations into the deaths of more than forty peopleof almost all citizens, in the demonstrations and incidents that have rocked the Latin American country since December, the day government officials under President Dina Bolluarte submitted their resignations and the day after the resumption of mass mobilizations, this time especially in capital city.

The arrest, arrest and pretrial detention on December 7 of former President Pedro Castillo sparked the most serious unrest in Peru in decades. At least 41 civilians and one policeman have lost their lives.

Human rights groups accuse Peru’s police and army — which was deployed on the streets after a state of emergency was declared — of using excessive force, notably firing live bullets. Security and government officials counter that protesters, especially in the south, are using improvised weapons and explosives.

Thousands of citizens demonstrated in Lima on Thursday demanding the resignation of the “racist”, “classist” government under Ms Bolluarte, the closure of Congress and the immediate calling of presidential and parliamentary elections.

The head of state rejects the protesters’ demands and points out that the elections have already been decided to be held early, in April 2024 instead of 2026.