Thousands of Peruvian protesters have gathered in the capital, Lima, to show their support for ousted former president Pedro Castillo and demand the resignation of current president Dina Boluarte.
Thursday’s large demonstrations are aimed at maintaining pressure on the government, with protesters also calling for the dissolution of parliament and new elections.
An opposition movement already underway has rejected these demands, a sign that the country is divided.
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What caused the protest?
The country has been rocked by violent unrest since Congress sacked Castillo on December 7 and replaced him with Vice President Boruarte.
Castillo, 53, has been accused of multiple corruption investigations and twice impeached by the Peruvian parliament. Before his third impeachment attempt on December 7, Castillo dissolved Congress and attempted to rule by decree. The Constitutional Court called Castillo’s announcement a “coup”.the opposition parliament immediately voted for his replacement The latest blow in years of clashes between Peru’s executive branch and parliament.
Bolarte then became Peru’s sixth president in five years.
Castillo is in pretrial detention while being investigated for treason.
What fuels the current protests?
Many of the protesters are Castillo supporters with similar backgrounds to the former leader.
They are the indigenous people of the mountainous regions of Peru. They say Boluarte does not represent them.
Demonstrations began in the south and quickly spread to rural areas across the country.
Peru’s Human Rights Ombudsman said 43 people were killed in clashes with security forces during the five-week protests.
Protesters say dialogue with the government they say has unleashed so much violence against citizens is impossible.
“We are from Chota, Cajamarca. Yorbin Herrera, a protester from Cajamarca, told Al Jazeera.
Mass demonstrations in Lima, as well as Boluarte’s resignation, will call for the dissolution of parliament and new elections.
“I am upset. I am angry. I am traumatized and shocked by what is happening here,” Luis Gallo, another anti-government protester, told Al Jazeera.
“I believe people will kick Dina Volarte and Congress out,” he added.
The protests that have engulfed much of Peru over the past month have been grassroots efforts without clear leadership.
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Experts say the worst political violence Peru has seen in more than two decades shines a spotlight on years of deep divisions in the country.
“The political situation in Peru has several layers… [and] If you look a little deeper into the social order of things… this is not just a specific moment in 2023 or 2022,” Alonso Grumendi, a lecturer in international relations at the University of Oxford, told Al Jazeera.
“With a long history of exclusion of indigenous descendants, Peruvian indigenous people have been left out of economic growth. [Peru has seen]Even if the GPD is growing and the macroeconomic numbers are doing well, people are being neglected every day if they can’t privatize their basic needs,” he said.
“We don’t have good health care. We don’t have public housing, but [and] Public education is underfunded.
“Residents feel there is a double system, and all of these protests boil down to this difference between parts of Peru that can take advantage of the ‘economic miracle’ and those that don’t. Still left behind. It is done,” said Gourmendi.
What is the current government saying?
President Dina Boluarte said she was willing to talk to the demonstrators but had to assemble peacefully.
“We know they want Lima from everything that was announced on social media on the 18th and 19th. [of January]’” Boruarte said in a speech on Tuesday.
“I call on them to take Lima, yes but in peace and calm. I am waiting at the government house so we can talk about the social agenda that is going on,” she added.
Bolarte said he supports plans to push forward presidential and parliamentary elections to 2024, originally scheduled for 2026.
A “March for Peace” in support of Bolarte was also underway in Lima on Thursday, with dozens of members of community groups and political parties wearing white T-shirts in denial of the protest.
What Happens Next and Can the Current President Stay?
Analysts say it’s hard to predict, but they can’t foresee a better time for the country.
“It is very difficult to say [what will happen]Lima political analyst Juan Claudio Rechin told Al Jazeera insider story.
“[But] If [Boluarte] We have the guts to stay, we have the military and police to stay, and we have the backup of about 80% of the population. The difference is that this part is not mobilized, whereas the other part is mobilized … with very aggressive behavior,” he added.
Mr Grumendi said politicians in power did not understand what was driving those who demanded Mr Borarte’s resignation.
“Lima’s political system cannot or will not understand the root causes of the protests,” said Grumendi.
“They seem convinced this is just a ‘terrorist attack’ in a country with no legality.
“Unfortunately, I don’t see this unfolding in a peaceful way, at least for the time being,” he said. “I actually think this country needs a longer process of national debate on how to change the system … so that everyone is included.”
