Dina Boluarte, Andean country’s first female president, calls for calm as protests break out in support of her ousted predecessor, Pedro Castillo.
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has said she is willing to discuss early elections with
the country’s political and civil organisations but ruled out
kick-starting constitutional changes for the time being.
Boluarte, who took office on Wednesday hours after her
predecessor Pedro Castillo was ousted, said on Friday she was calling for
calm as protests broke out in support of the former president.
Early morning footage on local television showed hundreds of
farmers blocking a stretch of Peru’s main coastal highway
demanding early elections.
“If society and the situation warrants bringing forward
elections, then in conversation with the democratic and
political forces in Congress, we will sit down to talk,” she
told reporters.
“I am not the one who caused this situation, I am only
fulfilling the constitutional role,” she added, calling on the “sisters and brothers who are coming out in protest… to calm
down.”
Later on Friday, Boluarte said she had received a call
expressing support from Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez.
“He expressed his support and collaboration in the framework
of the strengthening of our democracy, bilateral relations and
regional policies,” she said on Twitter.
READ MORE:
Peru’s Boluarte under pressure amid political turmoil after Castillo ouster
‘Peru in political crisis’
The 60-year-old lawyer Boluarte, who was Castillo’s vice
president, became the first woman to assume the country’s
presidency and is set to hold the post until 2026 if no fresh
elections are called.
Asked about calls from some leftist parties to draft a new
constitution, Boluarte said the long-standing demand should not
be abandoned, but it was not something she wanted to do in the
short term.
“I think this is not the time. Right now, Peru is going
through a political crisis and we still need to solve the
economic and food crisis,” she said.
She said she would name her new cabinet members on Friday or
Saturday.
Boluarte said she plans to visit Castillo in prison, adding
his “coup d’état surprised us all, including his ministers.”
READ MORE:
Boluarte becomes Peru’s first ever female president after Castillo’s ouster
Asylum request
Castillo tried to dissolve Congress just hours before he was
removed from office in an impeachment vote.
He was detained and
is now facing criminal charges.
Mexican authorities said on Thursday they had started talks
with Peru on Castillo’s request for asylum there.
On Friday
afternoon, Peru’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Mexican
ambassador and said statements by the country’s leaders relating
to the matter constituted an “interference in Peru’s internal
affairs.”
Peru’s abrupt leadership change has had limited effects
on markets so far.
Analysts said economic and financial
institutions in the world’s No.2 copper-producing nation remain
resilient to political volatility.
However, Boluarte, who called for a political truce in her first speech as president, will have to be careful to avoid the fate of other leaders who left the post before their terms ended.
READ MORE:
Peru’s Congress approves motion to begin President Castillo’s impeachment
Source: Reuters
Peru’s Boluarte open to early election talks amid pro-Castillo protests
Source: News Achor Trending
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