On Tuesday April 4, Peru’s right-wing dominated Congress, with 37 votes in favor, 64 against and 10 abstentions, rejected a motion to launch an impeachment process against de facto President Dina Boluarte. Boluarte emerged unscathed due to the key political alliances she made with conservative legislators in the parliament, in betrayal of the progressive ticket she was elected on.
The motion was presented by left-wing legislators from various opposition parties on March 30, accusing Boluarte of “moral incapacity” to govern due to the deaths of demonstrators in the past four months of anti-government protests.
The motion needed the votes of at least 52 of the total 130 legislators to advance the trial to remove Boluarte, who assumed office on December 7, 2022, after the democratically elected left-wing President Pedro Castillo was removed in a legislative coup and subsequently arrested.
Since Castillo’s forcible removal and illegal arrest, hundreds of thousands of people have been in the streets across the country demanding his immediate release, former vice-president Boluarte’s resignation, closure of the Congress, advanced general elections by the end of the year, and a referendum on a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution.
According to reports from local media and human rights organizations, an estimated 50-70 people have been killed in violent repression by police and military forces in the past months.
Progressive legislators have blamed Boluarte for these deaths. However, Boluarte has denied her responsibility.
National and international human rights organizations, such as the National Human Rights Coordinator (CNDDHH) and Amnesty International, have condemned “excessive and disproportionate use” of lethal weapons by security forces in dealing with social protests.
Peru’s National Prosecutor’s Office is already investigating Boluarte for the alleged crimes of “genocide, aggravated homicide, and serious injuries” for the massacre of protesters in the Apurímac and Ayacucho regions.
The Prosecutor’s Office is also investigating the de facto president for the alleged crimes of criminal organization and money laundering during the 2021 presidential campaign. Boluarte has also denied these accusations and deemed them a political maneuver that seeks to destabilize her administration.
