Peru’s parliament failed to pass a measure that could move the election to December 2023 amid widespread protests.
The Peruvian Congress rejected a proposal on Wednesday to move the elections front until December 2023, despite nearly two months of protests that have left dozens dead following the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo.
Lawmakers will continue to debate another proposal to hold early elections, a key demand of the protesters. The first proposal — one of many — was rejected by 68 lawmakers and approved by 54 voters, with two abstentions.
In the deeply divided Congress, some lawmakers want to end their original terms, while others want to go further and hold a referendum on the new constitution, a requirement other protesters.
Parliament had previously backed a proposal to move the elections scheduled for 2026 to April 2024, but the move failed to quell the unrest that has gripped the country.
Over the past few weeks, protesters have blocked roads, occupied airports and burned several buildings, with demands including early elections, the closure of Parliament, and the resignation of the President. Dina Boluarte and Castillo was released from prison.
Castillo was brought to power in 2021 thanks to support from the south of Peru and poorer rural areas in the Andes, where some of the most violent protests have occurred.
Dozens of people have been killed in a crackdown on protesters by government security forces, with rural areas suffering the most. violence.
A former leftist teacher, Castillo was embroiled in numerous corruption investigations and worked through five Cabinets and more than 80 ministers during his 17-month rule.
He was impeached and arrested on December 7 and is being held in pre-trial detention detention after he illegally tried to dissolve Congress. His vice president, Boluarte, who was sworn into office hours after being removed from office, is Peru’s sixth president in five years.
A January survey by local polling organization IEP found that Congress, seen by critics as corrupt and mercenary, had a approval rating of only 7%. Boluarte has a slightly better result with 17%, while 73% favor new elections this year.
