A few days ago, President Pedro Castillo tried to dissolve the Peruvian Congress dominated by right-wing parties and where Castillo’s own supporters were against him. Castillo thus tried to govern by presidential decree and call new elections. Congress opposed Castillo’s policy and revoked his mandate in a unitary display among supporters of former dictator Fujimori’s daughter, Keiko Fujimori, and Castillo’s own vice president, Dina Boluarte.
Castillo fled and wanted to take refuge in the Mexican embassy but was detained by his own presidential military escort and imprisoned until prosecuted for his actions of usurping full powers. For his part, the court has decreed his arrest without bail for 18 months.
Since then, there have been demonstrations and strikes promoted by Castillo’s supporters, especially in the south of the country, the CGTP (General Confederation of Workers of Peru) and student and peasant organizations. The demands are very varied: from Let them all go! immediate elections! or the call for a Constituent Assembly.
In the current conditions, however, where the masses lack revolutionary leadership and unity in their purposes, immediate elections or the Constituent Assembly can only benefit the most organized sector, which are the right-wing parties headed by Fujimori.
During his brief tenure, Castillo oscillated between marching to the right or towards centrist or even social democratic positions. This earned him the desertion by right and left of his supporters, the instability of his brief government of just over a year is expressed in the fact that there were five cabinets and around 70 ministers resigned.
The economic situation is desperate for the popular sectors and the bourgeoisie, both national and transnational, continue to exploit natural resources and destroy the environment.
After Congress vacated him and ordered his prosecution, his right-wing vice president Dina Boluarte took office, proposing immediate elections. In a confusing and complicated legal process, the call for new elections could take months. Meanwhile the protesters in the streets have taken over universities, airports, some mines and workplaces. Boluarte ordered the political repression that has already caused more than 20 deaths, hundreds of injuries and many arrests.
Some military units revolted demanding the police be disarmed and repression to stop.
Given this, we state:
Down with the coup!
Not to repression!
Freedom to all prisoners!
Trial and Punishment to the murderers of the people!
Dissolution of all repressive bodies!
Extend and deepen the military rebellion against the government!
Organize worker, peasant, and student committees!
Organize self-defense!
Build the revolutionary party!
Kick them all out of power! Workers and peasants to power!
Socialism or Extinction!
#Peru #DinaBoluarte #PedroCastillo