Peruvian social organizations begin strikes in various regions of the country.
Movements are increasing pressure on the government to call early elections; 26 people have already died as a result of repression during protests in the preceding days.
World Opera - Several social, trade union, indigenous and peasant organizations in Peru have called for strikes to begin this Tuesday (December 20th) in various provinces of the country, to reinforce pressure for early general elections and also to protest against the repression that the government of Dina Boluarte has dedicated to the demonstrations that have been daily since December 10th.
The movements that announced the protests are united in fronts, such as the Popular Defense Front of Ayacucho and the Defense Front Against the Contamination of the Coata Basin and Lake Titicaca. They question the legitimacy of President Boluarte and argue that only with new general elections – that is, to choose a new president and also renew the entire Congress – will the current political crisis be overcome.
The political landscape in Peru has been turbulent since the first day of December, when the opposition initiated a motion of vacancy, aiming to remove then-President Pedro Castillo from office.
The president's reaction occurred on December 7th: he attempted to push for the dissolution of Congress and the establishment of a state of emergency, but the measure was not accepted by the other institutions.
On the same day, Congress voted on the vacancy motion and approved Castillo's removal from office with 101 votes out of a possible 130, 14 more than the 87 (two-thirds of the total) needed for his defeat. The former president ended the day in custody, in an action by the Peruvian National Police, which prevented his attempt to seek asylum at the Mexican embassy.
Then-Vice President Dina Boluarte assumed the presidency that same day, becoming the first woman to govern the country. However, her government never had the support of the population, who began protesting daily from December 10th onwards, demanding new elections.
Some groups also advocate holding a plebiscite to elect a constituent assembly, with the goal of writing a new constitution for the country. Peru's current constitution was imposed in 1993 by then-dictator Alberto Fujimori.
The protests held over the past ten days have been marked by strong police repression. According to the National Coordinator for Human Rights of Peru (CNDDHH), 26 deaths caused by violence from public security forces have already been recorded, in addition to 61 hospitalizations in serious condition and 113 arbitrary detentions.
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