Peru’s interim president declares state of emergency after weeks of anti-government protests | Peru
Peru’s interim president, Jose Jeri, declared a state of emergency in Lima and the neighboring port of Callao on Tuesday, following weeks of anti-government protests against corruption and organized crime.
“The state of emergency, approved by the cabinet, will come into force at midnight on Wednesday and will last 30 days in metropolitan Lima and Callao,” Jeri said in a speech to the nation on state television.
Under a state of emergency, the government can send the military to patrol the streets and restrict freedom of assembly and other rights.
This is the interim president’s first major action since taking office nearly two weeks ago to address the spiraling crime crisis.
Peru has been rocked by protests for weeks, and lawmakers voted earlier this month to impeach president-elect Dina Boluarte, whom critics accuse of rising crime and corruption.
“Crime has increased disproportionately in recent years, causing great suffering to thousands of families and further disrupting the country’s progress. But that is over. Today, we begin to change the narrative of insecurity in Peru,” Jeri said in her speech.
“We are moving from defense to offense in the fight against crime; this fight will allow us to regain peace, tranquility and the trust of millions of Peruvians.”
Lima was under a partial state of emergency between March and July following the murder of a famous musician attributed to organized crime.
Youth-led demonstrations have brought thousands of Peruvians to the streets of Lima and many other cities, fed up with the authorities’ failure to address a worsening crime crisis.
More than 200 people, including police officers, protesters and journalists, were injured in protests last month. One person was shot and killed by the police.
The security crisis in Peru, which has hit the transport sector particularly hard (with at least 47 bus drivers killed this year in attacks thought to be extortion-related), triggered Boluarte’s dismissal on October 10.
Speaker Jeri will serve as interim president until July 2026.
Peru has had seven governments in the last decade, including the government that replaced Dina Boluarte.
