Protesters march through Lima as congress rejects early vote bill
Lima, Feb 2 (EFE).- Demonstrators marched through the streets of downtown Lima on Thursday as Peru’s Congress debated then rejected another attempt to bring forward elections, one of the protesters’ main demands.
The demonstrators from across the country continued to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, who came to power as next in line after former leader Pedro Castillo was ousted, as well as the closure of Congress and the bringing forward of the 2026 election to this year.
Acho Hancco was one of the many people demonstrating in Lima from around the country – arriving in the capital from the district of Caraybamba, in the southern department of Apurímac. While the crowd shouted “Dina, the people repudiate you,” he told EFE that people are taking to the streets to demand what rightfully belongs to them.
“Dina Boluarte has to leave because she has not gone with Pedro Castillo’s program, but is exercising Keiko Fujimori’s. Two hundred years of the constitution, two hundred years of looting by multinationals and the people are still poor – that’s why we claim what belongs to us,” he said.
Hundreds of people gathered in Plaza Dos de Mayo and marched through downtown streets near the legislative headquarters.
They tried to reach Congress, where at that time parliamentarians were discussing a bill, which in addition to bringing forward the elections, included a referendum to call for a constituent assembly, both demands of the protesters.
“We are Inca blood. Like Inca blood we are not going to get tired until these criminals leave, that there is a constituent assembly. Until then, we are not going to get tired,” said a spokesman for the delegation of the Chalhuahuacho mining district, also in Apurímac, from which Boluarte is also a native.
In the end, Congress for the third time rejected the bill to bring elections forward, with 48 votes in favor, 75 against, and one abstention, falling far short of the 87 votes needed for it to pass.
On Friday, several ministers are expected to go to Congress to present another bill proposing elections for Oct. 8.
Meanwhile, the Ombudsman of Peru confirmed that a child died in an event linked to the road blockade of anti-government protests on Dec. 12 in Caylloma, in the southern department of Arequipa, bringing the number of protest-related fatalities to 66 since the demonstrations began in December. EFE
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