President of Peru proposes advancing elections to December 2023

The President of Peru, Dina Boluarteannounced this Wednesday that he proposed that the general elections be held in December 2023, four months before the initial proposal that he made in the midst of the serious political and social crisis affecting his country.

Boluarte remarked that “legally the times would fit” for his initial proposal that the elections be held in April 2024, but that in a meeting he held on Tuesday night with the Council of State “readjustments” were made indicating that the elections It could be next December.

Pedro Castillo will remain in pretrial detention

The Peruvian justice postponed until Thursday a hearing to decide whether to accept a request for 18-month preventive detention against the former president Pedro Castillo for the crime of rebellion and conspiracy, after his failed self-coup.

“The hearing is rescheduled for tomorrow, Thursday 15 at 08:30” (13:30 GMT), said Judge Juan Checkley after accepting the defense’s arguments that he did not receive all the documents for the case against Castillo from the prosecution. The magistrate indicated that the former president will continue to be detained for another 48 hours, despite the fact that this Wednesday the seven-day detention period imposed by a judge after his failed self-coup a week ago expires.

The prosecutor’s office formally opened a case against the ousted president and filed a request for preventive detention against Castillo for 18 months on Tuesday night, a source from the public ministry told AFP.

At his court hearing, Castillo made his first public statement since his dismissal a week ago: “I will never resign and abandon this popular cause that has brought me here.”

“From here I would like to urge the armed forces and the national police to lay down their arms and stop killing this people thirsty for justice,” said Castillo.

“I have never committed a crime of conspiracy or rebellion,” he said, addressing Judge San Martín, the same magistrate who sentenced former President Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) in 2009.

Castillo was detained by the police last Wednesday, after his failed self-coup and subsequent removal by Congress, which has a disapproval rating of 86%, according to the latest polls. (YO)