Peru's new leader offers early election as seven die in protests - Reuters Canada

LIMA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Peru's caller president offered lawmakers a program to bring elections guardant by 2 years connected Monday, aft the ouster of her predecessor past week sparked protests that person near astatine slightest 7 dead.

President Dina Boluarte, antecedently the vice president, was sworn successful past week aft erstwhile President Pedro Castillo was removed by Congress and arrested for trying to dissolve the legislature portion preventing an impeachment ballot against him.

But Castillo supporters reason that Boluarte was not elected by the people. Demonstrators person taken to the streets to request that Peru clasp caller elections, with immoderate besides calling for Congress to beryllium shuttered and Castillo released.

The caput of the Peru ombudsman's office, Eliana Revollar, said 7 radical had died during 2 days of protests, each from gunshot wounds.

Authorities successful Apurimac had earlier Monday reported the decease of a 16-year-old and 2 18-year-olds, portion different decease was reported successful Arequipa and two teenagers were killed connected Sunday.

"These are truly are needless deaths," Revollar told section broadcaster Epicentro, adding that astatine slightest 32 civilians and 24 constabulary had been injured.

Citing "difficult times," Peru's sixth president successful the past 5 years said she was proposing to determination up the adjacent wide predetermination to April 2024. It was antecedently scheduled for 2026.

In a handwritten missive posted to his Twitter leafage connected Monday, Castillo called Boluarte's aboriginal predetermination pledge a "dirty game" and derided her arsenic a "usurper," calling for an contiguous assembly to rewrite the nation's constitution.

Castillo besides said helium would not resign arsenic president contempt his lawful removal from power. He is being held successful a penitentiary halfway successful Lima portion helium is being investigated by prosecutors for the alleged crimes of rebellion and conspiracy.

The leftist governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico and Colombia issued a associated connection connected Monday calling for the extortion of Castillo's quality and judicial rights, adding that the "agents" of Castillo's removal should prioritize "the volition of the citizens that was declared astatine the polls."

Castillo was elected by a constrictive borderline past twelvemonth with Boluarte arsenic his moving mate.

Some civilian and indigenous groups successful the world's No. 2 copper shaper besides announced a onslaught starting connected Monday successful Apurimac, location to important mining projects including Las Bambas, a large copper excavation owned by China's MMG Ltd (1208.HK).

A root astatine Las Bambas, which has battled blockades for years, told Reuters it has received much blockade threats amid a "radicalization" of protests against the steadfast by locals.

'HIGH CONFLICT'

A erstwhile teacher and peasant farmer, Castillo attracted beardown enactment past twelvemonth from agrarian and mining areas. But during the archetypal twelvemonth of his administration, corruption allegations against him mounted portion helium presided implicit unprecedented turnover among elder ministers.

Protests involving hundreds oregon thousands of radical person been held since past week successful cities successful Peru's interior and superior Lima, astatine times turning violent.

The U.N. Human Rights Office warned of further escalation successful a connection connected Monday, calling connected authorities to workout restraint and afloat analyse the deaths of protesters.

In Apurimac, authorities ordered the airport's closure aft an onslaught by protesters, and parts of Peru's main coastal road was blocked connected Monday successful Ica and Arequipa.

LATAM Airlines (LTM.SN) said it had canceled flights to and from the metropolis of Arequipa aft reports protesters invaded a runway.

"Dina Boluarte doesn't correspond us. She's a traitor. She's incompetent," said Juan Calle astatine a march successful Lima, calling connected the caller president to beryllium jailed and Castillo released.

Boluarte, 60, declared a authorities of exigency successful areas of "high conflict," allowing soldiers to instrumentality much control.

"I person fixed the instructions truthful that power of interior bid tin beryllium recovered peacefully, without affecting the people's cardinal rights," said Boluarte, who lamented the deaths.

Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Anthony Esposito and Sarah Morland; Editing by Alistair Bell and Rosalba O'Brien

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