Emergency state declared in Peru as protests paralyze traffic in 5 regions

Protests continued in the country for almost a week as activists demanded the resignation of President Dina Boluarte, the return to freedom of Pedro Castillo, the convening of a constituent assembly and the dissolution of Congress. One of the key ideologues of the protest is the socialist Free Peru party, which holds 15 of the 130 seats in parliament.

The protests began in early December when Pedro Castillo announced the dissolution of parliament in response to an impeachment attempt. Castillo was arrested on the same day. The US said it considered the impeachment attempt legitimate and, as of Dec. 7, 2022, considered Castillo the former president and Dina Boluarte the current president.

Castillo was elected president in June 2021. One of Castillo's main campaign promises was to change the Fujimori Constitution, which, according to Peruvian socialists, protects "corruption at the macro level." Changing the constitution required a referendum, which only Congress could declare. But the conservatives, who share Fujimori's ideas and are strictly against any of Castillo's proposals, held the majority in parliament.