WASHINGTON, DC — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to Peru’s embattled president Dina Boluarte, urging her to pursue
reforms and “focus on reconciliation” as violent protests roil her new
government, the State Department said Sunday.
اضافة اعلان
“Secretary Blinken encouraged Peru’s institutions and civil
authorities to redouble their efforts to make needed reforms and safeguard
democratic stability,” department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement,
which noted the two leaders spoke on Friday.
“The US looks forward to working closely with President
Boluarte on shared goals and values,” it said, adding that Blinken stressed the
need for all Peruvian actors “to engage in constructive dialogue to ease
political divisions and focus on reconciliation”.
Peru has been in crisis since December 7, when leftist
president Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested following his attempt to
dissolve parliament and rule by decree.
Boluarte, who had served as his vice president, rose to
power.
But she lacks the support the former president, once a rural
schoolteacher, enjoyed in much of the country, and violent riots ensued.
Boluarte has resisted opposition demands to step down and
has called for fresh elections, but the Congress voted against a bill to move
elections forward from 2026 to December 2023.
Castillo was arrested while trying to seek refuge in the
Mexican embassy, and was ordered on Thursday to spend 18 months in pretrial
detention.
Protests since then have claimed at least 19 lives and left
569 people injured, according to health officials.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
