Dr. Yasmin Calmet

Peru is known for the stability of its instability. In the last six years, it has weathered countless political crises and six presidencies, four of which led to impeachment or ended due to societal pressure. There have been numerous riots driven by various political, social, and economic factors, while the country is also struggling with weakened democratic institutions, economic recession, and an ongoing clash between executive and legislative branches. Peru enters 2024 facing familiar challenges that need to be resolved urgently. Without immediate solutions, the country’s fragile democratic institutions could collapse under authoritarianism.Despite Peru’s abundant natural sources that could enhance development, the country continues to grapple with extreme social inequality. Political fractures and polarization both hinder government policies and continually make it difficult for citizens to exercise their political, economic, and social rights. The clash between the legislative and executive branches indicates a divided government that is unable to engage in dialogue or effectively respond to citizens’ demands. Moreover, when negotiations do occur, they are rarely aimed at defending citizens’ rights, but rather seek to create mechanisms that ensure that the political class maintains power.As a result, the current political crisis can be seen as the consequence of a political system that has succumbed to private interests. This has undermined the legitimacy of democratic representatives and institutions, and bolstered authoritarian action by the government.There is popular mistrust of leaders because these leaders lack a political following: both the Congress and president have low levels of approval, which have waned further as time passes. For example, according to data from the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP), popular disapproval for President Dina Boluarte increased from 71 to 82 percent between January 2023 and January 2024. Meanwhile, levels of trust in the president fell from 19 to 8 percent during the same period of time. The Peruvian Congress fared even worse, with the disapproval rate skyrocketing from 61 to 90 percent, and trust falling from 9 to 5 percent. This data can be explained by the president and Congress’s lack of understanding of Peru’s social realities. There are not enough channels and policies that would allow for more proximity between representatives and their constituents.In addition, the government’s failure to further the interests of its citizens is reflected in the absence of an equitable or sustainable economy. Although the country remains economically stable, it is facing an economic recession. This is in part due to a shortage of effective measures (either proactive or reactive) to control the effects of the El Niño phenomenon. The country is also still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, informal labor has increased: 3 out of 4 workers are in the informal sector. However, Peru has little in the way of labor laws and is struggling with an inefficient and incoherent bureaucracy that discourages new companies and makes it hard to access to the formal labor market.The country’s way of doing politics has authoritarian overtones. The executive branch lacks open channels of dialogue to hear and respond to citizens’ demands, such as more development opportunities and access to basic rights and services. With their demands unaddressed, social exclusion, inequality, and poverty continue to rise. It is estimated that 29.2 percent of the population will be living in poverty this year. People are fed up and continue to protest in the streets for the president and Congress to step down. In response, the government has adopted an autocratic approach, labeling the protests as illegal acts to destabilize the state and generate chaos. These claims have been used to justify the excessive use of violence to restrain protestors and "protect" the security of the country. In 2023 demonstrations, more than 50 people were killed in a confrontation with the police and another 200 people were dealt with in a coercive and violent manner. This attitude has generated more animosity between the government and its citizens, caused political disengagement, and limited political participation through protests due to fear of violence and repression by the police.Another demand that has put the people and government in conflict in Peru is the need for &nbsp;political reform to reduce corruption. However, such reform requires oversight measures that strengthen political accountability, which is unattractive for legislative and executive branches that want to continue to accumulate power and maintain political hegemony. There is very limited willingness to commit politically to improving Peruvian democracy and political institutions. Since the executive governs by decree, people remain detached from democratic institutions.Finally, one solution government officials have discussed to the political crisis between the legislative and executive branches is to adopt the Ecuadorian "cross-death" model. This would prevent future presidents from acquiring more power and disbanding congress whenever they believe it is necessary. However, this model has not resolved Ecuador’s own political crisis and would not resolve Peru’s. The new structure would preserve the fragility of political institutions and lacks clear rules. Peruvian politicians tend to see other Latin American models as a short-term solution to their own internal problems. However, Peru’s leaders forget that restoring a credible political system with strong institutions and improving governance and the balance of state powers will require changes consistent with the political reality. The steps taken must be executable and transparent. Above all, improving political awareness would allow for greater dialogue with citizens.

Understanding Peru's Political Turmoil