Bolivia: Boluarte’s Comments Demonstrate ‘Colonial Mentality’

Luis Arce’s government expressed its “strong rejection” of the statements made by Peruvian de facto ruler Dina Boluarte in her message for Independence Day. The Bolivian president said that Boluarte’s speech “does not represent the true feelings of the Peruvian people.”

The Bolivian government condemned the statements made by Boluarte, who referred to Bolivia, Cuba, and Venezuela as “failed countries.” Arce responded on social media: “We believe that this does not represent the true feelings of the Peruvian people, with whom we maintain historic ties of brotherhood, respect, and cooperation.”

The Bolivian Foreign Ministry summoned the Peruvian chargé d’affaires in Bolivia, Carlos Montoya, “to express our profound condemnation of these statements.” Arce also said that the official statement would be forwarded to the Peruvian government through diplomatic channels.

Expreso mi enérgico rechazo por la inadmisible declaración sobre nuestro país emitida por la presidenta de la República del Perú, Dina Boluarte, en ocasión de su mensaje a la nación en conmemoración del 204 aniversario de la independencia del Perú, y que consideramos no…

— Luis Alberto Arce Catacora (Lucho Arce) (@LuchoXBolivia) July 30, 2025

The two nations have not shared ambassadors since 2022, when former President Pedro Castillo (2021-2022), of the leftist Perú Libre party, was overthrown by the Congress. Boluarte assumed the presidency as vice president as part of a conspiracy with the Congress. Since then, over 70 people have died in protests against her rule, which were violently repressed by police and the armed forces.

This is not Boluarte’s first diplomatic clash. She has clashed with the Mexican and Colombian governments in the past. In the case of Bolivia, the government—as well as the entire political spectrum amid a presidential campaign—was particularly affected by her words.

The present-day territories of Bolivia and Peru share a history dating back to pre-Hispanic times, when they were part of the Tawantinsuyu, the Inca empire. Together, they fought Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879-1884). Furthermore, between 1836 and 1839, they united to create the Peru-Bolivian Confederation.

Taken out of context
Peruvian Congresswoman Margot Palacios told Sputnik that the section of Boluarte’s speech discrediting Bolivia, Cuba, and Venezuela was not included in the script agreed upon with her ministers. She said this in response to criticism from several opposition legislators while she was delivering her address.

“I think it came out at the time, because several congresspeople were scolding her about the murders committed during her regime,” she explained.

In a conversation with Sputnik, Peruvian analyst Betty Izaguirre considered that Boluarte’s statements “have demonstrated her colonial mentality, because they not only reflect total submission to the economic interests of national and international power groups, but also reflect contempt for progressive governments in the region, such as Venezuela and Cuba.”

In this regard, Izaguirre observed that Boluarte “does not at all condemn US interference through unilateral measures applied to sister countries like Cuba, which has endured more than 60 years of impositions that restrict its right to development, as has happened in Venezuela, Iran, Nicaragua, and other countries.”

Boluarte came to power with Perú Libre, a progressive party that was ultimately dismantled with the arrest of President Pedro Castillo. The former president has been in prison since December 2022, when he attempted to shut down the current Congress when it was trying to legally remove him after barely a year in office.

Damaged relationships
Congresswoman Palacios stated that “these unfortunate comments by Boluarte do nothing for Peruvian diplomacy. We do not have ambassadors in Mexico, Colombia, or Bolivia. Those and other representations disappeared since she took office. This means that diplomatic relations with other countries are not being properly managed.”

In this regard, “We welcome the Bolivian Foreign Ministry’s immediate condemnation of these statements. I believe that what Boluarte expressed is not the sentiment of millions of Peruvians toward our sister country of Bolivia, with whom we have always remained close,” the congresswoman emphasized.

If it were not for her government, Peru would be “a country without investments, without completed projects, with greater poverty, on the way to becoming a failed country… like Bolivia and so many others,” Boluarte claimed in Congress on July 28. Peruvian Foreign Minister Elmer Schialer sought to explain that the president’s comments suffered “a misinterpretation,” but ultimately validated them.

Peruvian President Boluarte Faces 97% Disapproval Amid Salary Hike Controversy

Palacios opined that the Peruvian foreign minister “has pointed out that the president’s words have been taken out of context, but that they are not far from reality. So his remarks do not contribute much. It was a message to the far-right in Peru, to tell them: ‘I am one of you, continue supporting me,’ until the end of her term,” on July 28, 2026.

Elections on the horizon
On April 12, 2026, general elections will be held in Peru, when a new president, deputies, and senators will be elected. “We hope for a government that truly cares for the vast majority and can improve everything we are experiencing,” said Palacios, who noted that Boluarte is the least popular president in Peruvian history.

According to a recent study by the consulting firm CPI, 97% of those surveyed disapproved of the current president’s management.

While the ruling party is not doing well in the polls, in the social arena, the forces are fragmented, according to Izaguirre. “There is no candidate within the popular sector that brings together all the forces of the left and the popular movement, which are very dispersed and atomized. This is a point that has been debated, but it has not yet come to fruition,” she stated.

 

(Sputnik) by Sebastián Ochoa

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/JRE/SF