LIMA — Hundreds of protesters on Monday used
burning tires, wood and rocks to block the airport runway in
Peru’s
second-largest city, Arequipa, demonstrating against the ousting of former
president Pedro Castillo.
اضافة اعلان
Protesters have demanded fresh elections and the
resignation of new President
Dina Boluarte, following the arrest of her leftist
predecessor Castillo last week after he attempted to dissolve Congress and rule
by decree.
Police used tear gas to confront demonstrators who
smashed runway lighting and forced the airport’s closure, an AFP photographer
reported.
Boluarte tried to ease tensions following deadly
weekend clashes, announcing on Sunday she would seek to hold elections two
years early, while also declaring a state of emergency in flashpoint areas.
New roadblocks were set up on Monday in several
major cities such as Arequipa in the south, Cusco in the southeast and Libertad
in the north.
It came despite Boluarte saying in her televised
address that she would try “to reach an agreement” with Congress to bring
forward elections from July 2026 to April 2024.
She said a bill on moving the poll forward would be
submitted in the coming days, adding that she was also declaring a state of
emergency in restive areas.
Boluarte, a former prosecutor who had served as
Castillo’s vice president, was quickly sworn in to replace him following his
impeachment and subsequent arrest last week.
On Sunday,
clashes between protesters and police in the southern city of Andahuaylas left
two dead and at least five injured — including a police officer — as
demonstrators attempted to storm that city’s airport.
In her address, Boluarte expressed regret for the
protesters’ deaths.
Fracas in Congress
A police station in the
Apurimac town of Huancabamba was also set on fire, RPP radio reported.
“I urge people to remain calm,” Interior Minister
Cesar Cervantes told the station, as he announced the second death.
Clashes in Andahuaylas on Saturday saw 16 civilians
and four police officers injured.
“No Peruvian’s life should be sacrificed for
political interests,” Boluarte tweeted on Sunday evening before her speech,
reiterating a call for “dialogue and the rejection of violence.”
The country’s right-leaning Congress convened an
emergency session on Sunday afternoon to discuss the crisis, but had to be
suspended after physical altercations broke out.
In images posted on social media, a man punched
another man and then members shoved each other in the center of the chamber.
Some 1,000 to 2,000 people rallied in
Lima on Sunday
shouting, “Castillo you are not alone, the people support you” and brandishing
signs accusing “Dina and Congress” of being “corrupt rats,” before police
dispersed the crowd with tear gas.
‘Indefinite strike’
Meanwhile, rural unions and
organizations representing Indigenous peoples called for an “indefinite strike”
beginning Tuesday in support of Castillo, himself the son of a peasant family.
They demanded the suspension of Congress, early
elections and a new constitution, as well as Castillo’s immediate release,
according to a statement from the Agrarian and Rural Front of Peru, which
groups about a dozen organizations.
With his background as a rural teacher and union
leader, and with little contact with the nation’s elites, Castillo has always
drawn his strongest support from Andean regions, while struggling to find
backing in coastal Lima.
The ousted president was arrested on Wednesday while
heading to the Mexican embassy to seek asylum, and prosecutors have charged him
with rebellion and conspiracy.
Peru is now on its sixth president since 2016.
Castillo’s 17-month rule was overshadowed by six investigations
against him and his family, mass protests demanding his removal, and a power
struggle with the opposition-backed Congress.
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