Peru has declared a state of emergency as protests continue in the country.
The Guardian reported that Peru’s new government declared a 30-day national state of emergency. Across the country, there are protests and violent demonstrations after former President Pedro Castillo was arrested and removed from his position.
According to The New York Times, Peru’s new president is Dina Boluarte, “On Wednesday, Ms. Boluarte replaced Pedro Castillo as president, after Mr. Castillo, 53, tried to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government — a move widely condemned as an attempted coup.”
Per The Guardian, the death toll has reached at least eight people. One of the protesters Ronal Carrera told the news outlet, “First of all, we do not recognise Dina Boluarte. She is a coup leader, to this day our president is Pedro Castillo. Now we are demanding his reinstatement.”
Boluarte has said that general elections could occur in December 2023, a dated moved up from April 2024 — the date a previous announcement said the elections would occur.
According to The Associated Press, this state of emergency has the result of “suspending the rights of ‘personal security and freedom’ across the Andean nation for 30 days.” Protests have been going on for several days.