Protesters plan to take over Lima to demand the resignation

Protesters plan to take over Lima to demand the resignation of Peruvian President

Demonstrations have been taking place in the country since December, when Pedro Castillo was ousted; The population demands immediate parliamentary elections, the dismissal of Dina Boluarte and a new constituent assembly

Juan Carlos CISNEROS / AFPdemonstrations in Peru
The protesters travel more than 24 hours to reach the Peruvian capital and demand the resignation of Dina Boluarte

Thousands of protesters gather limeIn the Peru, this Thursday 19th, to call for the resignation of President Dina Boluarte. The police mobilized 11,800 agents in the Peruvian capital to control protests planned for the afternoon. “We have 11,800 police officers on the streets to control the riots, we have more than 120 trucks and 49 military vehicles, in addition to the involvement of the armed forces,” said Lima Police Region Head General Víctor Zanabría. The protests come a day after a clash between protesters and police in Macusani, southern Peru, that left two dead. Since the beginning of the crisis on December 7th, the date when the then President, Pedro Castillo, attempted a coup d’état that led to his impeachment. Peruvians call for the resignation of the president Dina Boluarte and new presidential elections. This Thursday, they hope to “take Lima” and make a difference.” In Lima, the fight will carry more weight. When they oppress us in our regions, no one says anything,” said Abdon Félix Flores, 30, a farmer who says he is ready “to give his life.” He left Andahuaylas on Sunday, the epicenter of the December demonstrations, to arrive in Lima on Tuesday. There are still no exact figures on the extent of the demonstration and how many people have arrived in Lima.

“It is a fair and democratic manifestation of the citizens who have come from the regions and also from Lima, where they are demanding the immediate resignation of Dina Boluarte, the calling of new elections for this year 2023 and the closure of the congress.” , says trade unionist Gerónimo López, who called for the strike. “It is a popular national citizens’ strike with peaceful demonstrations by organizations from different regions, avoiding any act of vandalism,” he added. Hundreds of farmers from Cusco, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Puno and Andahuaylas arrived in buses and trucks and chewed coca leaves to appease their hunger. Some are in Lima for the first time. They traveled more than 24 hours along the winding Andean roads to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte. “We came from the Chumbivilcas province (Cusco) to defend our rights. We have come to make our voice heard. We are enormously forgotten,” said farmer Edwin Condori, 43, exhausted from the trip. “We came in an organized way to take over the streets of Lima, to shut down the capital, to be heard,” said Jesús Gómez, an agronomist who grows potatoes, corn and wheat on his farm in the city of Chumbivilcas. The demands of the demonstrators are essentially political: the resignation of the president, immediate new elections and a constituent assembly. The government rejected all requests.

protests in Peru