on Tuesday called for a national truce in order to establish dialogue roundtables, as well as to set the agenda for each region and for the development of the peoples.
During a press conference with the Peruvian Foreign Press Association at the Government Palace, the Head of State affirmed that Peru is a democratic nation, which respects the rule of law and institutions.
"We called on Congress for a truce, and now I call on my beloved homeland for a national truce in order be able to start the dialogue roundtables and to be able to set the agenda for each region and develop our peoples. I will not get tired of calling on them to dialogue for peace," Mrs. Boluarte expressed.
The top official indicated that the purpose of said truce is to help regions affected by road blockades, such as Madre de Dios or Puno. Concerning the latter, "the entire region has been taken over by the group of violent and radical people," she said.
Not resigning
Asked whether she will resign from office, the President pointed out that this would generate "crisis upon crisis," since the opposition sectors are not only asking for her resignation but also for the reshuffle of Congress Board.
"Would my resignation solve the crisis and the violence?" Mrs. Boluarte asked and argued that the
initiative to bring forward the date for the general elections, within the constitutional framework, is already in process at Parliament.
The Head of State indicated that if she resigned, this would lead to a situation of "anarchy and crisis" in Peru —a state of affairs that favors sectors immersed in illegal activities, such as smuggling and drug trafficking.
The top official also asserted that, given this situation, "it is necessary to set a social agenda" so as to solve the postponed needs of various Peruvian sectors. However, the protests that match these claims "cannot be accompanied by violence, destruction, and death."
This has generated losses worth around S/2 billion (about US$517 million) in the productive sphere and S/3 billion (about US$775 million) in damage to public infrastructure and tourism, Mrs. Boluarte indicated.
"That is not a peaceful protest; it is a violent action generated by a group of radicals and an economic agenda based on drug trafficking, illegal mining, and smuggling," she stated.
In this sense, the President affirmed that the first two factors have a presence in Puno, and the third one in Abancay, where protests began and through which drugs from the Valley of Apurimac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers (Vraem) come out.
The Head of State reiterated that she apologized to the families of the citizens who died during the protests.
Mrs. Boluarte mentioned that "the Prosecutor's Office has been asked to conduct prompt investigations" and that the judiciary act according to its autonomy.
The Head of State considered that "it is not the police who are shooting," and that the majority of people killed at protests in Puno were impacted by "a weapon called dum-dum," which the law enforcement institution does not use.
Moreover, Mrs. Boluarte lamented the fact that there is an intention abroad to present ex-President Pedro Castillo as a victim. She said "he was the perpetrator of his own coup d'état."