Is Peru democracy in danger?

Peru has been witnessing massive protests since December last year from supporters of far-left former president Pedro Castillo. Castillo's supporters are outraged over his arrest following impeachment and failed attempt to dissolve Congress. So can we say that Pedro's attempted coup exposed the crumbling state of Peru's democratic institutions?

Well, according to experts this is not the case. Latin America analyst Hari Seshasayee told WION that "Peru's democracy is not as fragile as we think. Despite all the impeachments and now the protests, there has been no military coup d'etat and no authoritarian leader has governed Peru in recent years."

The main issue, Seshasayee pointed out, is that the "political party system has all but crumbled since the early 2000s and it remains in dire straits."

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Given Peru's history, WION asked the expert whether the current president Dina Boluarte is also staring down the same downfall. Is her downfall predictable too?

The analyst explained that the current Boluarte government has already made some missteps, particularly by allowing so much violence and resulting deaths to continue under their watch. It is pertinent to note that over 50 people have died in the unrest which has gripped the Latin American nation.

There is definitely a possibility that Dina Boluarte either resigns or is impeached, Seshasayee highlighted however he continued by saying that even if Boluarte resigns or is impeached, the protests may reach a pause but they will not stop completely.

"The demands now are for a constituent assembly to rewrite the 1993 constitution enacted by Alberto Fujimori. At the minimum, even if Boluarte does not resign, she will be forced to call for earlier elections, perhaps sometime in the second half of 2023," he added.

The unicameral Congress of Peru has the legislative power vested in it. This is the same institution which has been surrounded by allegations of corruption and is deemed the most crooked one of all.

How can congress be made corruption free? WION asked Seshasayee in a conversation. According to him, Peru's Congress is highly corrupt but there is little chance of remedying this in the short term. "It requires political reforms that no Peruvian president would be willing to take because it would be political suicide for them."

Just a day ago, Boluarte called for a "truce" in a bid to calm down protesters who were on an all-out clash with police who fired tear gas on them.

Now, as the Boluarte government is facing accusations of killing the protesting Peruvians to shun the uprising, the president alleged that a lot of those who had died were not shot by police but by their fellow demonstrators only.

In the latest development, Peru lawmakers have reportedly submitted a motion that seeks the impeachment of President Dina Boluarte.

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