By PRFSU Writers 2023-2024 Charles Phillips
Since Dec. 7, 2022, protests have rocked the small South American nation of Peru, which recently underwent another bout of political instability after removing its left-wing president Pedro Castillo.
These protests have involved hundreds of thousands of people, including many of the poor rural citizens Castillo promised to represent in his rise to political power. Since the protests began, 60 civilians and one police officer have died, 600 have been wounded, and 300 have been arrested. The protests have also halted public transport and even led to the temporary closure of the Macchu Pichu site, one of Peru’s most famous attractions. Many are asking: what caused these protests, and is there hope for stability in Peru’s future? While we can answer the first question, we likely won’t know how to answer the second for years to come.
Castillo’s Rise
Pedro Castillo was born in rural poverty to illiterate parents in the third poorest region of Peru in the country’s north. The former President spent much of his childhood working on his parents’ cane farm, eventually going to university to pursue a degree in educational psychology. Castillo established his reputation as a primary school teacher. This position commanded much respect in rural districts of Peru that were facing illiteracy rates that were 15% higher than the national average. Castillo even led a nationwide teachers’ strike in 2017 over low wages and poor working conditions for the country’s teachers. After the government failed to support the crumbling education infrastructure, Castillo threw in his hat as a presidential candidate for the Free Peru Party in 2020.
After a surprising victory in a very contentious presidential election, which featured unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud by Castillo’s opponent Keiko Fujimori, the newly-elected president became the first left-wing candidate to hold office in Peru in decades.
Castillo Falls
Despite the euphoria of his surprise victory, the Castillo administration was immediately beset with controversy. Major corruption scandals cast a long shadow over his presidency as the embattled President was forced to cycle through 80 different cabinet ministers in less than three years.
Additionally, Castillo’s promises to redistribute mineral wealth and cash transfers to peasants did not do him any favors with the traditional Peruvian elite who had controlled politics in the country for decades. Castillo’s base of support was based on the masses of the rural poor in Peru, self-labeled as the “forgotten ones” based on their feelings of abandonment at the hands of wealthy politicians in the distant capital of Lima. When Castillo serves the interests of his constituency, he often pursues policies contrary to the interests of the powerful political elite of the country, who use the political process and Castillo’s scandals to paralyze the presidency and provoke social unrest.
Further, the political institutions of Peru contribute to a destabilizing political atmosphere. Article 113 of the Peruvian constitution allows Congress to impeach the president for a variety of reasons, including the nebulous “moral incapacity clause,” which has allowed the Congress to conduct three impeachment proceedings against Castillo, two against Martin Vizcarra, and two more against Pedro Kuczynski, all of which occured within five years of each other. The strained relations between the President and Congress ensured quick turnover in the office of the presidency and significantly reduced public trust in Peruvian institutions, as people felt that impeachment attempts were often politically motivated as opposed to being in the republic’s best interests. These political developments set the stage for the showdown between Castillo and Congress that led to Castillo being removed from office.
Castillo’s Final Blow, the Dissolution of Congress
The immediate spark for the protests can be found in the Peruvian Congress’ attempt, for the third time, to remove Pedro Castillo from office. The legislature had already attempted to impeach the embattled president for being “morally unfit” to hold office. However, the most recent attempt occurred under the shadow of an investigation into alleged corruption surrounding political appointments and embezzlement that have hounded Castillo’s administration for months.
Castillo announced the dissolution of Congress and his intention to temporarily rule by decree on Peruvian state television. This was a widely controversial move, described by some critics as an attempt to establish authoritarian rule. Even many of his allies were caught off guard by this controversial attempt.
Castillo appeared to lack the political support needed to carry out this attempt. He was impeached by a vote of 101-6 and later detained by police to await trial for charges of rebellion and violating constitutional order. After his removal from office, his Vice President, Dina Boularte, was sworn in as Peru’s first female president.
Despite the near-unanimous vote on Castillo’s removal and the confirmation of a former political ally and Free Peru member, the decision to remove Castillo and install his Vice President has proven to be one of the most divisive in recent Peruvian political history, and the political upheaval has not been contained as the government alternates between conciliation with supporters and violent crackdowns on anti-government groups.
In the first two days after his removal, over 1,000 protestors converged on Lima to block roads and march on Congress. Confrontations with police officers escalated. The early days of December saw public transportation grind to a halt as protestors blocked major roads and some transportation unions went on strike, and by Dec. 14, Dina Boularte declared a national emergency.
On Dec. 15, 6,000 protestors marched on the streets of Ayacucho to support Castillo. The Peruvian army responded by sending helicopters and soldiers who fired tear gas and live ammunition at the protestors. This heavy-handed response killed ten people in what has been termed the “Ayacucho Massacre,” which prompted even more protests as the situation quickly escalated beyond the control of Peruvian officials.
Protests have continued to escalate while the government lacks a coherent response to this political disaster. The Congress recently refused to move elections up to October 2023, further angering protestors and resulting in a large-scale protest in Lima and even one death. Despite the Boularte government’s promise to begin a dialogue with the protestors, it appears that Peru has entered into another era of political instability that will likely be inflamed by an administration that is too busy dealing with nationwide protests to tackle the problems that led its the instability in the first place.
References
Castro, J. (2022, December 7). La Vergüenza Peruana. Aquí las palabras de Pedro Castillo con las que da golpe de estado y se convierte en un nuevo dictador. . Twitter. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://mobile.twitter.com/jsudaka/status/1600534673469616129
Congress of the Republic, Political constitution of Peru: Enacted on 29th December, 1993 (2009).
Giardino, N. (2022, December 19). ‘The forgotten ones’: Rural supporters stand by Peru’s Castillo. Protests News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/16/the-forgotten-ones-rural-supporters-stand-by-perus-castillo
Infobae, N. (2023, February 5). Las protestas en Perú se acercan a los dos meses sin salida en el horizonte. infobae. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2023/02/05/las-protestas-en-peru-se-acercan-a-los-dos-meses-sin-salida-en-el-horizonte/
Person, & Aquino, M. (2022, March 14). Peru Congress votes to begin impeachment of Castillo at second attempt. Reuters. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/peru-congress-approves-impeachment-trial-against-castillo-2022-03-14/
Taj, M. (2022, December 7). Peru’s president tried to dissolve Congress. by Day’s end, he was arrested. The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/07/world/americas/peru-pedro-castillo-coup.html
Vega, R. G. (2022, December 16). La Represión de las protestas y Los Bloqueos de Carreteras Causan 20 muertos en Perú. El País. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://elpais.com/internacional/2022-12-16/la-represion-de-las-protestas-y-los-bloqueos-de-carreteras-dejan-18-muertos-en-peru.html