Peru: President Castillo against the wall

PERU - In Brief 06 Apr 2022 by Alfredo Thorne

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Last night the political crisis reached a new high point. Although President Castillo had imposed a 22 hours curfew and suspension of individual liberties at midnight on April 5th, people went massively to the streets to protest and ask for his resignation. Protests had started on March 29th when transport unions went on strike demanding a reduction in fuel prices and the elimination of the excise taxes on these products. This induced protests across the country. The highlight was the street protests over the weekend in the city of Huancayo, in the Junin region, the stronghold of Perú Libre political party that President Castillo had used during his presidential campaign. Moreover, Perú Libre party president Mr. Vladimir Cerrón had been Junín Governor twice. Yet, protesters over the weekend and, in a 180-degree swing, shouted Castillo to resign. This illustrated the level of popular indignation.Although we may agree that President Castillo's days may be counted, more difficult is to predict when this may happen. Even before these protests, in the March 27th Instituto de Estudios Peruanos' (IEP) poll, 71% of pollsters indicated that President Castillo may not complete its 5-year term. In our essays we have indicated that two developments could push Castillo out of government--popular protests and clear evidence of Castillo having engaged in embezzlement. It seems that gradually these two conditions are being met. Last night protests in Lima have been the largest seen since the time former president Alejandro Toledo led the anti-Fujimori march in 2000. Moreover, the new General Attorney, Mr. Pablo Sanchez, taking over from Ms. Zoraida Avalos on April 1st, had indicated t...