FLASH -- July 19, 2021
Peruvian election officials tonight declared a winner of the presidential election, by a 44,000-vote winning margin.
Pedro Castillo, 51, a former union leader who is considered a leftist outsider, is the president-elect of Peru after an 'election night' that lasted over a month. The New York Times calls Castillo's victory "the clearest repudiation" to the country's establishment in 30 years.
In the runoff election, the candidate Keiko Fujimori, herself a symbol of Peru's elite and the daughter of a disgraced ex-president of Peru, lost her bid for the presidency for the third consecutive cycle. Her camp failed to prove alleged irregularities in the nation's election system.
Sources... The New York Times, Agence France Presse news wires
New President Inaugurated After Peru's Disputed Election (2021)
Pedro Castillo has been sworn in as Peru's new president.
Before the inauguration, Castillo met with various South American presidents, including Guillermo Lasso of Ecuador.
As he assumed his leadership position, Castillo said Peru will now be governed for the first time by "a peasant" and he will be dedicated to the redistribution of Peru's assets to benefit the lower classes.
The king of Spain, King Felipe VI, was also in attendance.
Presidente Castillo said he will not live in government palace, also known as Pizarro's house, named for the Spanish conquistador who defeated the Incas 500 years ago.
Source... www.cuencahighlife.com
Peru's revolving door of the presidency.
The president elected last year, Pedro Castillo,
a former small-time farmer from a remote
rural area .. has been removed from the
presidency.
The Peruvian Congress voted 101-6 to oust
Castillo. He has been jailed for rebellion.
Dina Boluarte is the new 'presidenta' and the
first female leader of Peru.
Castillo was attempting to dissolve Congress,
but the legislators got there first.
Peru has been averaging about one new
president per year since 2016. Almost every
president in the past four decades has been
charged with corruption linked to
multinational corporations.
Source... Washington Post, New York Times
Dina's tenure.
Dina Boluarte had been serving as vice-president
when she was suddenly elevated to the presidency
this week.
Peru has had some interim presidents who served
for extremely short periods. There were three
national presidents in the year 2020, including
an interim president However,
Presidenta Boluarte says she will serve for all
the remaining time in the Castillo term, until
July 2026.
Castillo was the latest of the many Peruvian
presidents against whom corruption has been
alleged in recent years. The current charges
against him include rebellion against
the state.
Source... www.cuencahighlife.com
Peruvians protest what happened to
Presidente Castillo.
Around Peru this weekend, many citizens --
including many supporters of ousted
Presidente Pedro Castillo -- engaged in
sometimes-violent protests and demanded
new elections. Castillo has wide support in
many rural areas where the people identify
with the one-time farmer who rose to the
highest office in the land.
In the mountain town of Andahuaylas
(pop. 42,000), two teenagers were repoted
killed in confrontations with police during
the weekend.
Here in the capital city of Lima, police
used tear gas to hold back hundreds of
protesters .. and elsewhere thousands
participated in the demonstrations.
The authorities had to shut down the
airport in Andahuaylas after protesters
set fire to the transmitter room, which
normally provides navigation services
for air travel.
Source... The Guardian, as posted at
Presidenta announces she will
arrange for early elections.
Castillo's vice presidenta, who became
his successor as president -- Dina Boluarte --
has announced she will send a bill to
Congress this week to hold the next
presidential election in 2024.
Boluarte had wanted to serve out the
presidential term until 2026, but the
mood of the people is not allowing that.
cccmedia in Lima
Updating the presidential situation.
Two thousand protesters blocked the
runways at the Arequipa international
airport yesterday .. interrupting air travel
at Peru's second largest city.
Police eventually used tear gas to disperse
the protests and enable flights to resume.
From his imprisoned state, the impeached
presidente tweeted that he was being
held hostage due to the new presidenta,
whom he considers a 'usurper' who is
playing 'a dirty game'.
Source... BBC News
-- cccmedia in Lima
Two thousand protesters blocked the runways at the Arequipa international airport yesterday .. interrupting air travel at Peru's second largest city.
Cancelation of hotel reservations for new years is generating economic losses in Cusco.
Peru State of Emergency.
The government of Peru is instituting a State of
Emergency in an attempt to control demonstrations
following the ouster of Pedro Castillo, presidente.
The emergency measure will limit the rights of the
people to gather in large groups.
Presidenta Boluarte is calling for calm.
Source... The New York Times
Defense minister explains military
aspects.
Amid protests in 14 regions of Peru,
the nation's defense minister has
announced that the Peruvian military
is being employed to protect
hydroelectric plants, airports and other
key infrastructure facilities in the country.
Under the newly-imposed national
State of Emergency, the mililtary can be
employed to assist in police work and
protect key assets of Peru.
Source... CNN
-- cccmedia in Lima
800 tourists stranded near famous site.
About 800 tourists are reported stranded
near Machu Picchu, the famous Incan
ruins site in southern Peru .. after protesters
managed to halt service via the train that
usually transports tourists from a nearby
town to the iconic ruins.
The national death toll in the wake of the
failed (alleged) coup attempt in Lima
stands at seven.
Protests by agrarian and indigenous
peoples in the region began early this week
in Cusco, historically the gateway city
to the World Heritage site at Machu Picchu.
Source... straitstimes.com
Cusco area update...
In Cusco, the protests have choked off roads
throughout the region, cutting off supplies
headed for local food markets and
copper mines, and 3,000 tourists are
stranded in the region, according to the
regional governor.
Tourist sites including Machu Picchu
cannot be accessed by visitors, he said.
Source... New York Times
LatAm governments support ousted presidente.
Four Latin American governments have produced
a joint statement in support of the impeached and
removed Sr. Castillo of Peru.
The governments of Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia
and Mexico say in their statement that
Castillo is the victim of ¨undemocratic harassment,¨
urging the leadership of Peru to recognize
¨the will of the people.¨
The statement does not mention Castillo's
former vice-presidenta, Sra. Boluarte, who has
been inaugurated as current president of Peru.
Source... The New York Times
Castillo to remain jailed for 18 months.
Peru's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered
that ousted presidente Pedro Castillo be held
as a prisoner for an additional 18 months.
The high court determined that Castillo is a
flight risk as he had sought asylum after his
impeachment at the Mexican embassy here
in Lima. He faces ten years in prison if he is
convicted of rebellion or other alleged
coup crimes.
Castillo supporters have continued to
rally daily despite a 30-day State of
Emergency that forbids such protests.
Source.. AFP -- Agence France Presse,
as posted at Yahoo!News
-- cccmedia in Lima
Move for early elections voted down.
Peru's Congress late this week voted down
a measure to move elections up to
December 2023, one year from now.
Protesters have been demanding early
elections since the ouster of
alleged coup leader and presidente
Pedro Castillo.
As many as 2,000 tourists remain
trapped inside Peru due to the
closing of some airports.
Source... Reuters
-- cccmedia in Lima
Seven deaths in Ayacucho.
Seven protesters died on Thursday in clashes
with police in Ayacucho, according to
regional authorities.
-- CBS News
Ayacucho in southern Peru had a 2017
population of 616,000, according to the
city's Wikipedia page.
-- cccmedia in Lima
The text above summarises the ongoing political events well, but makes Peru seem like a war zone.
Peruvian politics have been a mess for decades but its economy fares better than most South American countries. However there only seems to be only a left versus right choice with each in it for the money.
Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo are all quite peaceful and have curfews and police presence to keep it that way.
Cusco & Macchu Piccu are disrupted through flight and rail cancellations but will be safe.
Some of the Andean towns are still frictional - but are normally well off the main tourist or expat route.
I have my Xmas pudding in Arequipa and I'm going to eat it even if Santa can't come due to curfew.
Best Wishes to all.
Presidential election moved up to 2024.
Peru has moved its next presidential election
to April 2024, from the original 2026 date.
The idea is to keep a lid on protests after
impeachment denied Sr. Castillo a full
five-year term that began last year.
The nation's airports are reported open and
operating..
I flew from Lima to Quito yesterday morning,
and there were no visible signs I encountered
of protests or trouble.
News source... www.cuencahighlife.com
-- cccmedia in Quito
Machu Picchu developments from the protests.
The railway link between the iconic Inca ruins
and the city of Cusco has been blocked since
December 12, and hundreds of tourists were
reported stranded.
The tourists have mostly been airlifted out of
the Machu Picchu zone, back to Cusco.
It may take several more days to clear the
rail tracks.
Source... Cuenca Highlife
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