With this step, President Boluarte wanted to calm the protests that have been going on in the country for weeks.
Amid the violent anti-government protests in Peru, parliament again voted against new elections later this year. After five hours of debate, 68 MPs voted against President Dina Boluarte’s proposal on Wednesday, while only 54 voted in favor. The head of state wanted the new elections, which had already been pushed forward to April 2024, to take place this year in order to calm the protests in the country.
Peru has been rocked by serious unrest since the ouster and arrest of leftist President Pedro Castillo on December 7. In the nationwide protests, the demonstrators are demanding not only the resignation of Castillo’s successor Boluarte, but also the dissolution of parliament in order to hold new elections immediately.
Last month, Parliament voted by a large majority to bring the elections forward from 2026 to April 2024. Nevertheless, the nationwide protests continued. Boluarte then asked Parliament to hold the election later this year. The MPs rejected this for the first time last Saturday – and now spoke out against it in a renewed vote.
The protests, which have been going on for weeks, have repeatedly resulted in violent confrontations with the security forces, and at least 48 people have already been killed.
