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Peru’s latest president José Jerí faces mounting pressure after killing of protester

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Original article by Pablo Meriguet republished from peoples dispatch under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Police shoot at protesters in Lima, Peru. Photo: Juan Mandamiento / Wayka

Protests have not subsided despite Boluarte’s removal from office. Now, Jerí’s newly formed government faces an attempt at censure just days after he accepted the position.

Peru’s right-wing Congress gambled that their removal of highly unpopular Dina Boluarte and the subsequent swearing in of José Jerí as President of Peru would perhaps bring down the intensity of the protests in the country and ultimately lead to their dissipation.

However, in Lima (the capital) and other cities such as Arequipa, Cusco, and Puno, protests have continued and even grown in strength. The state repression of the protests also appears to be a constant, as this too has persisted and intensified. According to human rights organizations and local media outlets, the latest protests have been met with heavy repression by Peruvian security forces resulting in the death of 32-year-old hip hop artist Mauricio Ruiz on October 15. Dozens have also been injured.

The National Human Rights Coordinator (CNDDHH) denounced the violent repression and return of killings of protestors by police: “The field monitoring team of the National Human Rights Coordinator has confirmed the death of young Mauricio Ruiz Sanz during the day of protest … We express our deep outrage and solidarity with his family, and we demand an immediate, thorough, and independent investigation to clarify the facts and determine who is responsible.”

According to the CNDDHH, the perpetrator of the murder was an undercover police officer who, upon being discovered by protesters, attempted to flee and shot Ruiz, who died a few minutes later at Loayza Hospital in downtown Lima, very close to the epicenter of the demonstrations (around the National Congress).

In the aftermath of Ruiz’s death, artists collectives, student organizations, and progressive movements have organized vigils and recommitted themselves to the struggle against the repressive and corrupt Peruvian state.

Peru faces a deep structural crisis

The continuation of protests following Boluarte’s removal from office confirms that the crisis facing the country goes beyond one leader. Before Boluarte’s removal, protesters were demonstrating not only against her government (the most unpopular in Peru’s recent history), but also against a political structure and system that does not meet the needs of the Peruvian people.

The recent Peruvian government is faltering

As the protests show no signs of letting up and outrage has intensified following the violent repression, the administration of controversial right-wing President Jerí is already on unstable ground. Amid the outcry over the killing of the young artist, President Jerí wrote on X: “I mourn the death of 32-year-old citizen Eduardo Ruiz Sanz. My thoughts are with his family at this time. May the investigations determine the facts and responsibilities objectively.” Notably, most of Jerí’s other posts in the last several days are focused on condemning protesters and highlighting the toll the protests have taken on law enforcement.

And yet, just a few days after accepting the position, Jerí is facing a motion of censure by the very Congress that elected him president a few days ago. According to several legislators, the alleged killing of protester Ruiz by security forces is a sufficient reason to demand Jerí’s censure, which requires 66 votes to be carried out.

Protests continue in Peru, as polls register 96% rejection of Boluarte

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Original article by Pablo Meriguet republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Graffiti in Lima condemning police repression of protests. Photo via Joxe Carlos / X

Protesters are demanding an end to the government with the highest disapproval rating on the entire continent. Boluarte, however, says she will not resign.

Another massive mobilization took place on October 4 in Lima, Peru’s capital, against the government of Dina Boluarte. With this mobilization, it has now been three weeks in a row that thousands of Peruvians have taken to the streets to demand an end to the proposed pension reform, corruption, insecurity, and police abuse.

But, as several analysts have pointed out, the protests are no longer focused solely on specific issues, but on raising the demand for an end to the Boluarte government. Boluarte took office after the overthrow of then-President Pedro Castillo, and led to the deaths of more than 60 Peruvians following massive protests between 2022 and 2023.

Protests in Lima

On Saturday, October 4, the streets of downtown Lima were once again filled with cries against the government and the national congress. The demonstrations were attended by young people, university students, workers, transport workers, and various collectives who denounced the Peruvian state structure as corrupt due to the presence of political and economic mafias. The General Confederation of Workers of Peru (CGTP) also joined the demonstration.

The demonstration marched through the city center along Abancay Avenue until it reached the National Congress, one of the institutions most criticized by the protesters. It did not take long for the police, as has been customary during the Boluarte administration, to quickly repress the protesters. Tear gas, pellets, and baton blows were the order of the day.

The resistance

However, journalist Ricardo Rodríguez argues that perhaps the most important aspect of the protests is not the repression, but rather the ability of Peruvians to mobilize in the face of a government that refuses to step aside: “It’s not just about bullets, tear gas, or arrests. What those in power fear – and are already beginning to feel – is that these young people are not just taking to the streets: they know, they understand, they articulate. They organize in a decentralized manner; they mobilize without waiting for permission; they use social media not as a showcase but as a tool for coordination; they demand not crumbs, but real change.

Rodríguez also pointed out that there is a spirit of rejection not only of the current government, but of a system that offers no opportunities for growth for Peruvians, felt most strongly among young people: “Many reject the economic model that offers them precariousness, miserable wages, and old age without decent pensions. The proposed reform is not the only cause: it is the trigger for accumulated resentment against decades of broken promises and state neglect.”

Transport workers’ strike

In addition to the demonstrations on Saturday, October 4, several dozen transport companies in Peru staged protests against the government of Dina Boluarte on October 7.

Their main demand is that the government take action to stop the growing wave of insecurity and extortion suffered by transport workers at the hands of organized crime groups. Attacks on transport workers have caused the deaths of 47 drivers.

At various points in Lima, transport workers stopped work and gathered in the streets to demand a change in the state’s security policy, even blocking roads to make themselves heard.

France 24 correspondent Francisco Zacarías reported that there were clashes between protesters and police. He also stated that President Boluarte “downplayed” the transport strike and said that the protests “will not solve the problem,” which has further provoked the transport unions.

Transport workers strike Lima — Sign on a bus reads “We want to work and return home. We do NOT want to die working. We have family and children that wait for us at home.” Photo via X

Almost total rejection of the Boluarte government and Congress

Currently, Peru’s Congress has one of the lowest approval ratings among the country’s various state institutions, reaching almost total rejection. Not far behind, President Boluarte has a 96% disapproval rating, according to an IPSOS poll.

In this regard, IPSOS CEO Alfredo Torres stated: “This is something that has never been seen before in history, nor has it been seen in other countries. A poor approval rating for any president is 20% in favor and 80% against, but a 96% disapproval rating is extremely high. It is absolute rejection, absolute distrust. People no longer expect anything. It is also outrageous that scandals continue to emerge and nothing happens.”

“I will not resign,” says Boluarte

Faced with periodic protests and a huge crisis of legitimacy, President Boluarte stated that she has no intention of leaving power before the 2026 elections. According to Boluarte, Peru has become a prime destination for foreign investment, so her administration is more than justified.

“If those small-time leaders believe that with riots, violence, hatred, and the desire to impose an anarchic world, they are going to change the history of Peru … We are seeing other countries that have done the same and have failed governments,” Boluarte said.

However, Boluarte will still have to endure protests that seem to be increasing in frequency in line with the disapproval of her mandate.