Two killed in protests in Peru as a new president seeks snap elections | Politics news

The young men were killed in Andahuaylas amid the unrest following the overthrow and arrest of President Pedro Castillo.

At least two people have been killed in Peru after police clashed with protesters demanding new elections and the release of detained ex-president Pedro Castillo.

Sunday’s deaths came as protests against Castillo’s removal and arrest widened across Peru, most notably in northern and Andean cities.

The announcement was preceded by President Dina Boulwart, the country’s vice president who was quickly sworn in to replace Castillo last week.

“I have decided to introduce a bill to reach an agreement with Congress to advance the general election date to April 2024,” Bulwart said in an address to the nation early Monday, adding that she would introduce the legislation in the “coming days.”

Lawmakers removed Castillo, a former teacher and union leader, from office on Wednesday after he sought to dissolve Congress ahead of an impeachment vote. The former president was arrested soon after, and prosecutors charged him with insurrection and conspiracy.

Protests quickly erupted across the country, with many supporters of the detained former leader demanding elections in Peru rather than allowing Pollarte to remain in power until Castillo’s term ends in 2026.

Some protesters have also called for a shutdown of Congress.

It was not immediately clear if Poulwart’s announcement would calm the unrest.

On Sunday, protests were reported in cities across Peru’s interior, including Cajamarca, Arequipa, Huancayo, Cusco and Puno.

Authorities said clashes broke out in Andahuaylas, in the Apurimac region, as demonstrators tried to storm the city’s southern airport. Pictures from the scene broadcast on local television showed protesters launching slingshots and throwing stones as police responded with tear gas.

Eliana Revollar, head of the Peruvian Ombudsman’s Office, told a radio station that two young men, aged 15 and 18, died during the clashes “possibly as a result of gunshot wounds.”

Baltazar Lantarón, governor of the Apurimac region, told local television station Canal that “four injuries were reported, and they were treated at the health centre, three of them [with wounds] to the scalp, with multiple infections.”

Hundreds of people also held protests at the Legislative Palace in Lima, Peru, where riot police used tear gas to disperse crowds.

Inside the palace, Congress convened an emergency session to discuss the crisis but was suspended after physical altercations broke out. In photos posted on social media, a man can be seen punching another man from behind and the members push each other in the center of the room.

Prime Minister Pedro Angulo said the newly appointed cabinet headed by Poulwart is also meeting on Sunday evening to assess civil unrest and decide how to respond.

Meanwhile, unions and rural organizations representing indigenous people have called for an “indefinite strike” starting Tuesday in support of Castillo, himself the son of a peasant family. The manifesto from the Peruvian Agricultural and Rural Front demanded Castillo’s immediate release as well as the suspension of Congress, early elections and a new constitution.

The demands for new elections come as recent polls show that nearly nine in 10 Peruvians disapprove of the country’s legislature.

Peru is now in its sixth president since 2016.

The power struggle continues in the country as the Andean region and its thousands of small farms struggle to survive the worst drought in half a century.

The country of more than 33 million people is also experiencing a fifth wave of COVID-19 infections, with nearly 4.3 million cases and 217,000 deaths since the pandemic began.