Peru protests: Roads and the airport were barricaded

• Mr. Castillo, though, described Ms. Boluarte’s ambitions as a “dirty game.”
• The sixth president in as many years is Ms. Boluarte.
• Supporters of Marxist former president Pedro Castillo took to the streets.

In Arequipa, Peru’s second city, anti-government demonstrators occupied the international airport and barricaded roadways as the bloody turmoil grew on Monday.

In protest at his impeachment and detention,

In reaction to the demonstrations, Dina Boluarte, his successor and former deputy, suggested moving up the general election date to April 2024.

Mr. Castillo, though, described Ms. Boluarte’s ambitions as a “dirty game.”

Since protests against Mr. Castillo’s impeachment last Wednesday, at least seven people have died in conflicts with the security forces.

Just hours before the Congress was to vote on his impeachment, he tried to dissolve the opposition-controlled body and was accused of corruption and arrested for it.

He referred to Ms. Boluarte as a “usurper” and said that he had been humiliated and “kidnapped” in a handwritten letter that he tweeted on Monday.

Mr. Castillo’s supporters contend that Ms. Boluarte was not duly elected. Some of them are also calling for the dissolution of Congress and the release of Mr. Castillo. They are demanding that new elections be held in Peru.

An estimated 2,000 protesters stormed the airport in the southern city of Arequipa on Monday, obstructing the runway and causing flights to be halted for several hours. On Sunday, protesters barricaded roads and set fire to cars. They were finally scattered by police using tear gas.

The first woman to rule Peru, Ms. Boluarte, announced earlier in the day that she would present a bill to Congress that would move the election from April 2026 to April 2024.

In order to create “a more efficient, transparent, and participatory system of government,” Ms. Boluarte said she would also propose constitutional revisions, although she did not provide any other information.

The action is a 180-degree turn. The new president, Ms. Boluarte, who took the oath of office on Wednesday, said that she will complete the remaining five years of Mr. Castillo’s time in office.

Whether Ms. Boluarte can maintain her position as president through April 2024 will depend in large part on how she handles the protests.

Years of political unrest between the legislature and the executive have left Peru in a state of political instability.

The sixth president in as many years is Ms. Boluarte.

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