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The political unrest in Peru reached a fever pitch this Saturday with a new and massive mobilization against the government of Manuel Merino, whose harsh repression left a dead that pays for both the solid rejection of his figure and his growing weakness.
Tens of thousands of Peruvians marched through streets and avenues throughout the country in a mobilization of spontaneous rejection, coordinated only through social networks, without leaders or spokespersons, very diverse, mostly young and with a dominant female presence.
In Lima, the march unleashed crude scenes of violence and repression that resulted in a death, a 25-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the head, as confirmed by hospital sources to the radio station RPP.
Merino, harshly criticized and exposed as the example of the policy that Peruvians want to banish from the country and due to his poor management of the protests, will now have to respond to a tragedy that will only serve to solidify the massive opposition against him.
Even without the deceased young man, and beyond the numbers, this march marks a milestone in the political life of the country and would have already put extra pressure on Merino, who has also seen how his allies in Congress who raised him to the presidency they begin to distance themselves from their government.
GREATER STRENGTH
The mobilization was, if possible, greater than the one that last Thursday, and in Lima the same images of massive support for the protests were seen again in the central Plaza San Martín, where more than 15,000 people gathered, adding several thousand more than they marched elsewhere in the capital.
As on previous occasions, there were serious disturbances in the surroundings of the headquarters of the Congress of the Republic, protected by a wall of policemen, with shots of pellets and smoke bombs.
One of those shots was the one that caused the death of the young man.
In addition, there were several injuries, some seriously, according to what could be seen on television broadcasts and through social networks.
In the absence of still assessing the scope of the repression, which the Ombudsman described as “misuse of force”, Everything seems to indicate that the scenes lived in the heart of the Peruvian capital will have consequences for an Executive who is highly questioned because of his heavy-handed and uncompromising handling of this situation.
The decentralized and headless nature of the protest also left smaller marches and concentrations, but also very large ones, in practically all the districts of the capital, where the incidents were conspicuous by their absence.
On the fifth consecutive day, that the mobilization brought together a greater number of people seems to go against the forecasts of the Government, whose officials estimated that the people “would get tired” of protesting and that nevertheless they came en masse despite the threat of repression.
WAIVER AND SPLITS
Pressure towards Merino and his government, made up of technicians and politicians of a marked conservative and right-wing character, also began to come from Congress, that put the president in power but that now seems to respond to the citizen’s demand.
To the already known announcements that various forces that supported the removal of Vizcarra now plan to deny their confidence to the Flores-Aráoz cabinet, have been added criticism even from the president’s closest allies on his way to power.
Thus, Merino’s own party, Popular Action (AP), where there is a great internal division, issued a statement supporting citizens in their protests, while the mayor of Lima, Jorge Muñoz, also from his party, he publicly criticized the repression and police attempts to prevent people from participating in the marches.
I deeply regret the death of a young Peruvian in today’s demonstration. Mr. Manuel Merino, resign now! Listen to the Peruvians!
– Jorge Muñoz (@JorgeMunozPe) November 15, 2020
They also withdrew their support for a parliamentary commission that was going to select the candidates to form the Constitutional Court, a key body in this crisis and that the Merino government wanted to carry out despite its transitional nature and despite the general elections that Congress will be renewed in less than five months.
DIMITIR WHY?
Shortly before the march, Flores-Aráoz told the press that despite the protests, which he had said he did not know why they were due, the president did not intend to resign because many Peruvians back him.
“He has millions of Peruvians who support him, unfortunately they are at home. I would not ask them out”, he said in statements to Channel N.
Flores-Aráoz asked for “tranquility” and to talk with those who are against the presidential succession, cans “politics is dialogue, not imposition”.
The scenes of both unity and a massive common goal to unseat the Merino government as well as unnecessary and undeniable violence, which was broadcast live by the media and social networks, unfortunately speak of an attempt at imposition, which Peruvians in the streets do not seem to accept.
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