LIMA: Peru’s Congress rejected on Saturday a request by embattled President Dina Boluarte to bring forward elections to December this year, as protests rage on against her leadership.

The South American country has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily protests since Dec 7 when former president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

Demanding that Boluarte resign and call fresh elections, Castillo supporters have erected roadblocks on highways, causing shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies. The government said it will soon deploy police and soldiers to clear the roadblocks.

Lawmakers agreed last month to bring forward elections from 2026 to April next year.

In the face of relentless protests, Boluarte urged Congress on Friday to call the vote for December, describing the political crisis as a “quagmire”. But in a plenary session held during Saturday’s early hours, Congress rejected the proposal, with 45 votes in favour, 65 against and two abstentions.

Leftist parties had demanded that the advancement of elections be accompanied by a constitutional convention — something protesters have repeatedly called for.

“With this vote, the constitutional reform proposal for the advancement of elections is rejected,” Congress president Jose Williams said, after more than seven hours’ debate.

Following the vote, Williams received a request for “reconsideration”, which could be debated on Monday in a new session, though it would be difficult to reverse the decision.

Protesters have demanded immediate elections, as well as Boluarte’s removal, the dissolution of Congress and a new constitution.

“Nobody has any interest in clinging to power,” insisted Boluarte.

“I have no interest in remaining in the presidency. If I am here it is because I fulfilled my constitutional responsibility.”

As Castillo’s vice president, Boluarte was constitutionally mandated to replace him after he was impeached by Congress and arrested.

The US State Department said on Friday it remained concerned about the violent demonstrations as it called “for calm dialogue and for all parties to exercise restraint and non-violence”, spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

`Everything is very expensive’

In seven weeks of protests since Castillo’s arrest, 47 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters.

The autonomous human rights office said another 10 civilians, including two babies, were collateral fatalities when they were unable to get medical treatment or medicine due to roadblocks.

In southern regions, weeks of roadblocks have resulted in shortages of food and fuel.

“There’s no gas, there’s no petrol. In grocery stores all you get is non-perishables and everything is very expensive, up to three times the normal price,” marketing employee Guillermo Sandino said in Ica, a city 200 kilometres south of Lima that connects the capital to the south.

On Thursday, the defence and interior ministries announced that police and the military would soon move to clear the roadblocks.

Authorities said on Thursday that traffic was blocked in eight of Peru’s 25 regions, which has also complicated medical treatment in some areas, with doctors unable to access needed medicines.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2023