Peruvian president asks Congress to accept elections this year

President Dina Boluarte of Peru addressed members of Congress on Sunday urging them to move the country’s presidential elections forward to this year.

Her statement came one day after lawmakers rejected a bill that proposed changing the date of the vote from 2026 to 2023. Following Ms. Boluarte’s speech, lawmakers reconsidered their decision and voted to re-open discussions on the reform today.

Another bill moving elections from 2026 to 2024 was already approved in Congress, but its second ratification vote has not gathered enough support to pass, as protesters are demanding a much earlier visit to the polls.

During the speech, Ms. Boluarte warned that her government will seek to reform the 1993 Constitution if lawmakers fail to hear her appeal to bring the vote forward. “Congress members, you have to understand your historical responsibility,” she said. 

Ms. Boluarte has been under fire since December, after the destitution and arrest of her predecessor Pedro Castillo. Many outraged Peruvians, especially in rural and indigenous areas, have been protesting and calling for the former vice president’s resignation ever since. Meanwhile, a brutal police response led to the death of almost 60 people, in addition to dozens of reports denouncing human rights abuses. 

New episodes of bloodshed were registered over the weekend, this time in the capital, where one man was shot dead by the police on Saturday. The victim — the first confirmed in Lima — was identified as Víctor Santisteban Yacsavilca. Peru’s Public Defender’s Office called on protestors to end road blockades in order to de-escalate the conflict. 

While streets show a scenario of ungovernability, polls display that 73 percent of Peruvians want new elections, while 89 percent disapprove of lawmakers.

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