Supporters of former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo have threatened this Sunday to paralyze the copper mines of Las Bambas and Antapaccay if Congress is not dissolved and elections are not immediately called to elect a new president in view of their rejection of the new president, Dina Boluarte.
The president of the peasant communities of the district of Haquira, Valentín Roque, informed the newspaper ‘La Republica’ that they intend to «block the way to the mining company Las Bambas in protest against the vacancy of Pedro Castillo».
«We will march to Las Bambas, because we are against the Congress, because they do not represent us and neither does Mrs. Boluarte», he added.
Unions and social organizations in Arequipa, the country’s second most populated city, have announced that the protests will continue. The Federation of Education Workers and the Departmental Federation of Workers of Cuzco, also in southern Peru, have said they will join a 24-hour national strike on December 15, according to the same media.
In the city of Andahuaylas, protests have left at least 21 injured, including two policemen.
The demonstrations represent a challenge for the new president as she tries to restore calm after the dismissal of former president Castillo. It should be recalled that Boluarte, the country’s sixth leader since the beginning of 2018, has no party in Congress and risks being ousted before her term expires in 2026.
