Peruvian Congress rejects snap election

LIMA — Peru's President Dina Boluarte urged lawmakers on Saturday to find a way out of a deepening political crisis by agreeing to snap elections in December, just hours after Congress voted against the idea.

In the early hours of Saturday, lawmakers had rejected her request to move elections forward to December, even as protests raging across the country have left dozens dead.

After Congress voted against the snap election, demonstrations in the capital Lima turned fatal as one protester died in clashes with police near Congress.

Hooded protesters wielding shields, stones and pieces of cement pried from public buildings fought with police in a fog of tear gas, as Lima became the scene of scuffles, and the city's first death from the protests was recorded.

"We regret that the Congress of the Republic has been unable to define the date of general elections where Peruvians can freely and democratically elect the new authorities," Boluarte said on Twitter on Saturday. She urged politicians to "put down their partisan interests and place the interests of Peru above them".

The South American country has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily protests since Dec 7, when former president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

Demanding that Boluarte resign and call fresh elections, Castillo supporters have blocked highways, causing shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies. The government said it will soon deploy police and soldiers to clear the roadblocks.

Lawmakers had agreed last month to bring forward elections from 2026 to April 2024.

But in the face of relentless protests, Boluarte urged Congress on Friday to move the vote up further to December.

However, at a plenary session that ended early on Saturday, Congress rejected the proposal, with 45 votes in favor, 65 against and two abstentions.

"Nobody has any interest in clinging to power," Boluarte insisted on Friday.

In seven weeks of demonstrations, 47 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters, the Ombudsman's Office of Peru said.

Southern regions with large indigenous populations have been the epicenter of the protest movement that has affected Peru's vital tourism industry.

Agencies Via Xinhua