De facto president of Peru, Dina Boluarte. Photo: Prensa Latina.
On Wednesday, January 25, a group of Peruvian Congress members presented an impeachment motion against de facto President Dina Boluarte for moral incapacity.
The motion, presented by Congresswoman Nieves Limachi of the Perú Democrático party, comes amid heavy repression against protests in several regions of the country.
Presentada la Moción de Vacancia contra Dina Boluarte. pic.twitter.com/BNQgCDJIci
— Guillermo Bermejo Rojas (@GuilleBermejoR) January 25, 2023
The grounds for this vacancy motion are based on repression of the demonstrations against the Peruvian government, where protesters have been demanding an early general election, a referendum for a Constituent Assembly, and the release of deposed President Pedro Castillo from prison.
“Our country is bleeding from the terrible government administration and the security forces led by Boluarte Zegarra,” stated the vacancy motion.
No sympathy for the people
The parliamentarians who presented the motion stated that Boluarte is one of the main culprits behind the crisis in Peru. “She has shown before the world that she does not have a shred of sympathy for the people of our country,” they said.
The parliamentarians are requesting for the declaration of “permanent moral incapacity of the president of the Republic” in accordance with the provisions of Article 113.2 of the Constitution of Peru.
This is the first motion of vacancy presented against Boluarte in Congress. It requires 66 votes to be admitted for discussion, and 87 votes for the dismissal of the president.
Police repression against protests
On Thursday, January 26, protesters in the city of Los Alamos in the Ica region of south-central Peru were attacked by plainclothes policemen and members of private security agencies, leaving several people injured.
Videos circulating on social media present evidence of gunshots and people with bullet wounds.
“They are shooting at demonstrators with rifles in Ica, Peru; there is news of at least three dead and dozens wounded this early morning,” Twitter user Antifa Watch (@aquiradiomoscu) posted.
The news portal La Lupa published a video showing a young man wounded by gunshot.
“The clashes continue,” the post stated. “Police launch tear gas and gunfire throughout the urban area near El Álamo, Pueblo Joven Señor de Luren.”
https://twitter.com/lalupa_pe/status/1618466173787725824
On the afternoon of Wednesday, January 25, the regional director of public health of Ica, Victor Manuel Montalvo Vásquez, issued a preliminary report on the clashes between riot police and demonstrators: 24 wounded, 14 being police officers and 10 civilians.
The state news agency Andina reported a total of 63 injured (57 police personnel and six civilians) as a result of clashes on several stretches of the Panamericana Sur highway in the region of Ica.
Demonstration in front of US embassy in Lima
On Wednesday, protesters staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the US embassy in Lima, demanding justice for the victims of the continued repression.
Protesta ahora frente a la Embajada de #EEUU en #Lima. Exigen la renuncia d Boluarte tras las masacres y la persecución.
Washington es el principal aliado internacional del régimen de Boluarte y me atrevería a decir q ese respaldo es uno de los pocos factores q hoy lo sostiene. pic.twitter.com/tuBKcjkKts— Francesca Emanuele (@francemanuele) January 25, 2023
The Peruvian Ombudsperson’s Office reported that there were 90 blockades in 30 provinces of Peru as of Thursday.
Meanwhile, the region of Puno remains militarized since Wednesday.
Peru has been experiencing large-scale protests since December 7, 2022, when President Pedro Castillo was deposed in a parliamentary coup. Since then, people around the country have been demanding the resignation of Dina Boluarte, who was appointed president of the country by the Congress on the same day that Castillo was removed from the presidency.
So far, the government repression against the demonstrations has taken more than 60 lives, with hundreds injured or arrested.
AMLO questions UN, EU, OAS for silence over Peru crisis
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, criticized the United Nations, the European Union, and the Organization of American States for their silence regarding the violation of human rights in Peru.
“The UN, the OAS, where were they? Where are they now with what is happening in Peru?” AMLO said during his morning press conference on Thursday. He also questioned the double standards of EU legislators claiming that these organizations act “falsely” and pretend to show respect for democracy, when in fact they only defend it “when it is convenient for them.”
“Why the silence of the OAS over the crisis in Peru? Why were they there when it came to Bolivia?” the president questioned, referring to the accusations of electoral “fraud” issued by the OAS, led by Luis Almagro, in 2019 to delegitimize the victory of then Bolivian President Evo Morales, who was overthrown days later by the opposition.
“And now? They say nothing about Peru,” said López Obrador, also denouncing the European Parliament, which in 2019 had joined the OAS in the attack against Evo Morales in Bolivia.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/KZ
