Cusco: Truce of Social Organizations in Cusco Ends and Protests Restart This Week (Diario del Sol [Spanish] - 1/2/2023)

Cusco: Truce of Social Organizations in Cusco Ends and Protests Restart This Week (Spanish)

Today, an emergency meeting was called starting at three in the afternoon, in which the leaders will agree on actions they will assume in the coming days

The wave of protests announced for January 4 in the Macro-South Region has harm to Peruvian tourism as the focus, which would suffer millions in losses if the violence of recent weeks is unleashed again, which has left twenty-eight dead to date, according to the People's Ombudsman.

John González, President of the Cusco Chamber of Commerce, said that behind the call there are radical political groups and external forces, such as former Bolivian President Evo Morales, who incite and, in some cases, he assured, force the population to join the marches. If violence returns, the region will lose S/ 7 million every day, according to his estimate. "Cusco lives on tourism. If they harm this sector again with violent actions, tourism will die", he said.

President of the Republic Dina Boluarte questioned that union leaders and organizations from seven regions in the south of the Country restart the protests on January 4 to demand the release of Pedro Castillo from prison, the closure of Congress and the advancement of elections in 2023. From Cusco, the Head of State—in statements to the press—said that the proposals are infeasible and the initiative against the Government “are four points” that are not in her hands to resolve.

'The marches are not unattended social programs. There are four political points that are not in my hands to resolve. One of them is the advancement of elections that we already gave at our initiative. The second is asking for my resignation and that we win with my resignation", Dina Boluarte said.

Along these lines, she mentioned that "as a third point they are requesting the departure of former President Pedro Castillo, but that this process is prosecuted in the courts and as democrats they are respectful of the autonomy of the institutions."

Likewise, President Boularte stated that—as a fourth demand—the leaders request the closure of Congress; however, its management cannot violate 'the legal framework'.

In this way, she warned that the protests "are pretexts to continue causing chaos."

Urgent Summons

For the restart of these protests, the presidents of 'rondas campesinas' (peasant patrols), defense fronts, leagues, and federations of peasant women of the thirteen provinces (FDTC, FARTAC, FDCC, FUC, FEPCACYL, bakers, ASOTRAPOC, taxi drivers, JUC, markets, APVs, associations, unions, and other organizations, were summoned for this afternoon's urgent meeting at the headquarters of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Agrarian Federation of Cusco. The invitation is in the name of Antonio Maqquera Hilario, General Secretary of the Departmental Federation of Workers of Cusco.

Tags: #Cusco #Protests #General Strike #January 4 #Tourism #John González #Dina Boularte