Peru reopens some airports ahead of debate over early elections

LIMA – Peru’s government is reopening some airports ahead of another attempt this week by congress to approve early elections to calm protesters and alleviate the country’s political crisis.  

The airport in Juliaca, in southern Peru, will resume operations from Monday while the airport in the south-central city of Ayacucho could resume operations Tuesday, Transport Minister Paola Lazarte said on Sunday in a tweet from the ministry. Work is ongoing to resume flights at a third airport in Arequipa, also in the south, as “soon as possible”.  

Operations at the airport in the ancient city of Cusco have returned to normal after police and armed forces helped to retake the facility, the transportation ministry said on Sunday. 

Protests continued in Peru on Sunday, a day after

President Dina Boluarte ruled out resigning

and reiterated calls to bring forward elections. Unrest has swept the country since former President Pedro Castillo, whose five-year term was scheduled to end in 2026, was impeached by legislators on Dec 7. Castillo’s supporters, who have been protesting his removal, are demanding elections as soon as possible.

“We are going to be firm here until congress resolves the early elections,” Ms Boluarte said Saturday during a press conference with members of her cabinet and the armed forces.

Congress on Friday voted against an attempt to bring forward the elections to 2023. Hours later, the president of congress Jose Williams announced legislators will reconsider the proposal. Congress said on Twitter that it will resume the legislative session at 10am on Tuesday. 

Ms Boluarte, Castillo’s vice-president who was

sworn in by congress after his ousting,

first called for elections to be brought forward two years to 2024 and then backed an even-speedier timeline as the crisis escalated.

The situation has led to road blockades and disruptions to airline and ground transportation. The government declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday in an attempt to restore order. As of Friday, at least 24 people had been reported dead after clashes with police, according to the Health Ministry. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on “Peru’s institutions and civil authorities to redouble their efforts to make needed reforms and safeguard democratic stability”, according to details of a phone call with Ms Boluarte released on Sunday. He stressed the need for dialogue to ease divisions. 

A human rights delegation from the Organization of American States announced a visit Peru on Dec 20 to push “dialogue channels”. Bloomberg