Neither fluff nor Feather: why President Boluarte was impeached
On the night of October 10, the Peruvian Congress announced the impeachment of President Dina Boluarte due to the inability to resolve security issues in the country. The post of interim head of the republic until the 2026 elections was occupied by the chairman of the Congress, Jose Heri. Now Lima, which has record murder rates, may also face mass protests. Against the background of the turbulent situation in Russia, it is important to maintain dialogue with the republic at the current level. At the same time, there is potential for developing contacts between the two countries, including in the energy sector.
The political crisis in Peru
The Peruvian Congress has unanimously voted to impeach President Dina Boluarte because of her "moral incapacity." The former head of state herself was not present at the meeting, because, according to her lawyer Juan Carlos Portugal, the decision-making process initially bypassed the law, the accused did not have the opportunity to prepare for the defense.
Boluarte is accused of a failed policy in the field of combating crime. Prior to that, due to the growing problems with crime, Parliament passed a vote of no confidence in Interior Minister Juan Jose Santivanez, for the same reason, Prime Minister Gustavo Adriansen resigned. The authorities tried to remedy the situation in the spring by imposing a state of emergency in the provinces of Lima and Callao, with police and military patrolling the streets, but it did not help. Dissatisfaction with Boluarte's policies has reached the point where her approval rating has dropped to 2.5% in recent polls.
One of the reasons why the impeachment proceedings have taken place now is the shooting at the concert of the musical group Agua Magipa on October 8. As a result, five people were injured, four of them — the performers themselves. Due to the inability of the administration to neutralize the surge in crime in the country at the end of September, protests took place, and another rally was planned in the coming days. Most of the activists are young people, representatives of the so—called generation Z.
It is noteworthy that since 2022, there have been six attempts to oust Boluarte from the presidential post, but each time she managed to retain her position. A number of investigations are underway against the ex-president in Peru, one of them related to the deaths of 60 people during the suppression of protests in 2022. Boluarte is also accused of accepting bribes.
Now the ex-president is likely to seek political asylum in one of the foreign embassies in Lima, and then try to leave the country. In this regard, Attorney General Thomas Galvez stated that he intends to ban Boluarte from leaving the republic.
The Chairman of the Congress, Jose Heri, became acting President. Immediately after being sworn in, he declared that he was declaring war on criminal gangs, and also guaranteed a transparent electoral process in 2026.
The new President of Peru, Jose Heri
Economic inequality has largely led to an increase in crime in a country where a large number of people are below the poverty line. In addition, corruption leads to the inability of law enforcement agencies to effectively combat various gangs, including those involved in drug trafficking (although the country is not considered a leader in this illegal business, such as Colombia or Mexico, where large drug cartels operate). There is also a shortage of police officers in Peru, which affects the criminal situation. In the first half of the year, more than a thousand murders were registered in the country, and Lima became the leader — by that time, more than 400 murders had been recorded in the capital.
The potential of relations between Russia and Peru
The turbulent situation in the republic reduces the chances of a rapprochement between Russia and Peru and an increase in Russian investments in this republic.
— Peru does not really share a number of policy directions of our country. For example, both in 2014 and in 2022, Peru supported resolutions at the UN General Assembly condemning Russia's position on Crimea and Ukraine. In addition, in the run-up to the elections, politicians will not make any sharp turns towards Moscow. It is important for us now to keep our relations at the current level and not trigger a negative breakdown in relations. Maintaining relations at the current level is already normal for us," says Viktor Kheifets, Professor at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University.
Currently, Russia mainly buys agricultural products from Peru. Earlier, the Ambassador of the republic, Juan Genaro del Campo Rodriguez, said that the trade turnover between the countries in 2023 amounted to $403 million.
— We could talk about expanding cooperation in the supply of Peruvian agricultural products to the Russian Federation. A simple example is that Peru grows several hundred types of potatoes. Of course, we produce a lot of potatoes ourselves, but we don't have such an abundance of varieties," says Heifetz.
For its part, Moscow could offer Lima cooperation in the supply of industrial equipment, technology, and energy, for example, in the construction of nuclear power plants.
— In the case of Peru, there are no serious restrictions in the form of policies that hinder the development of economic ties, therefore, a change of government will not have a negative or positive effect on trade. Here, most likely, a lot depends on the willingness of Russian business to develop these relations," the expert emphasizes.
As for tourism, despite all the natural and historical features, Peru is not the most attractive region for Russian travelers. This is largely due to logistical difficulties — long and expensive flights were a problem even before the outbreak of the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
