Peru crisis exposes social divisions and lack of trust in political class

On December 7, former Peru president Pedro Castillo was removed from office after a failed attempt to dissolve parliament before facing new impeachment proceedings on allegations of corruption and “moral incapacity”.

Security forces detained him en route to the Mexican embassy to request political asylum. Castillo stands accused of rebellion and conspiracy – charges that he denies.

After a congressional vote to oust Castillo, Dina Boluarte, then vice president, was sworn in as the president.

In the aftermath of the fast political developments, protestors have blocked some roads and airports demanding Castillo’s release and early elections.

Confrontations between security forces and protesters have resulted in at least 26 deaths.

Prosecutors have announced investigations into the deaths, while rights groups have denounced the use of force by security forces.

READ MORE: Peru protests continue, death toll rises

A nationwide 30-day state of emergency has been declared – with security forces receiving enhanced powers as citizens’ right to gather has been curtailed.

Last week Peru’s Culture Minister, Jair Perez and Education Minister, Patricia Correa, tendered their resignations, citing the deaths.

“Most protests seemed to be focused on the demand for new elections,” according to Dr Jorge Sanchez-Perez, Assistant Professor of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Alberta.

“Right-wing parties want to delay those elections until they can control the electoral bodies. Left-wing parties want to delay them until they can guarantee some form of constitutional assembly that could guarantee their participation,” he tells TRT World.

Sanchez described the recent events as a “reversal of the outcomes of the 2021 election” when Castillo became president, a period marked by “massive propaganda promoting racism against indigenous peoples”, who make up 40 percent of the population and linking them to “terrorism”.

“Pedro Castillo was, since day one, attacked over claims that his victory had been the product of a fraudulent election. Right-wing parties, the media and the country’s economic elites wanted to get rid of him no matter the cost,” he explains.

Last week, leftist leaders in the region from Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia and Mexico signed a joint statement describing Castillo as “the victim of undemocratic harassment” and called for him to be “guaranteed judicial protection”.

When Castillo rose to power, many believed he would represent the voice of indigenous peoples.

However, according to Sanchez-Perez, “that image eroded rather fast due to his lack of capacity to implement any meaningful policy that would benefit Indigenous people”.

“To pay for political favours, he pushed for policies that would go directly against indigenous people’s rights to things such as education in their own language,” he says.

“Castillo was more interested in benefiting his family members and his circle of contacts by conducting shady deals,” Sanchez-Perez says, leading to “three separate votes to remove him from office”.

“Due to his corruption scandals, support for him eroded. However, support for Congress or right-wing parties also decreased, and a massive lack of social legitimacy in all branches of government ensued,” he explains.

READ MORE: Peru's political crisis explained

“Today, there is only a minority that would support him. I think it is important to understand that the bulk of protests are not because Castillo is gone but because Congress remains,” according to Sanchez-Perez. 

“To reduce this social explosion to mere support for Castillo would be missing the point. The entire Peruvian system is unsustainable due to massive inequalities,” he adds.

Following the sociopolitical instability,  the UN Human Rights office has expressed concern and warned authorities to “abide by their human rights obligations and allow people to exercise their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of opinion and expression”. 

It also denounced the “unnecessary and disproportionate use of force and indiscriminate use of tear gas.”

Boluarte, who has linked the latest protests to terrorism, insisted that she will not resign and suggested that general elections may be called in December 2023. 

Peru’s lawmakers, meanwhile, are set to meet for the second time in days to take up a proposal to push forward to next year the elections for president and Congress, initially planned for 2026.

“New elections could give the country some peace, even if (it’s) not a lasting one,” Sanchez-Perez says.