Peru in state of emergency – how the situation has escalated Dutch customs officials find 1.3 tons of cocaine among bananas

There were two drops that broke the camel’s back on December 7, 2022 in Peru, which was already deeply politically divided – a failed coup attempt and a historic change of power.

The background – and the events in 7 points:

Castillo’s deposition

Peru’s former president, Pedro Castillo, was impeached on December 7, 2022 after announcing that he would dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

Politicians from the government camp and the opposition had interpreted the announcement as a coup d’état. Countless cabinet members stood in front of him, especially former Vice President Dina Boluarte. She wrote on Twitter: “This is an attempted coup that exacerbates the political and institutional crisis that Peruvian society must overcome in strict compliance with the law.”

That same day, Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested by the Peruvian Congress. The charge against him is: rebellion.

Dina Boluarte takes office

After the overthrow of Pedro Castillo, Dina Boluarte was sworn in as the new president, as required by the constitution. Previously, she was Vice President to deposed President Pedro Castillo and Minister of Development and Social Inclusion. The 60-year-old lawyer is the first head of state in Peru’s history.

The change of power that broke the camel’s back

The turbulent transfer of power comes at a time that is already politically turbulent. Dina Boluarte is the sixth president in just five years. Peruvian politics is mired in corruption. The presidents have been interspersed with corruption scandals since 1990. The public has even less confidence in Congress, which is also considered corrupt. In addition, there is a deep division in the country: the gap between rich and poor is wide.

Nationwide protests

In the first days after the impeachment, protests broke out all over the South American country. Thousands of people demand the release of the imprisoned ex-president and the resignation of Dina Boluarte.

Some protesters even hope for a dissolution of parliament, which they say has been treated unfairly:

Castillo’s followers

In June 2021, left-wing politician Pedro Castillo won the second round against right-wing populist Keiko Fujimori. The election took place in the middle of the corona pandemic, which polarized the country even more. Peru has a dramatic increase in poverty and one of the highest mortality rates in the world.

Castillo grew up in an impoverished and illiterate peasant family, representing mostly rural Peru, largely living in abject poverty. Anthony Medina Rivas Plata, political scientist at the Catholic University of Santa María, explains his choice as follows:

State of emergency

The protests have escalated in recent days to the point of violent clashes between demonstrators and the police. According to Human Rights Ombudsman Eliana Revollar, there have been several deaths, including two minors.

In response to the increasingly violent protests, the government in Peru declared a 30-day state of emergency across the country on December 15, 2022. “Because of vandalism and violence, the seizure of highways and roads,” the government has declared a state of emergency, Defense Minister Alberto Otárola said.

With the state of emergency, the military takes over public security and some basic rights such as freedom of assembly are suspended.

800 stranded tourists

To prevent further protests, the only train connection with which you can reach the world-famous Inca site of Machu Picchu has now been suspended. About 800 tourists of different nationalities are trapped in the tourist region. This has been announced by the local authorities. They now want to try to set up an airlift to evacuate people.

(with material from the SDA news agency)