Peru: Protests erupt against president, pension system & corruption

In Peru, youth are rallying for another round of protests against President Dina Boluarte, a week after demonstrations in the capital led to clashes with police, leaving over a dozen police officers, protesters and journalists injured. The protests erupted on September 20 following reforms to the country’s pension system that required all Peruvians above the age of 18 to join a pension provider, but were also fueled by longstanding anger against Boluarte and Congress.

Cientos de peruanos se movilizaron en Lima por tercer día consecutivo en la marcha organizada por el colectivo juvenil “Generación Z” contra el Gobierno de Dina Boluarte y el Congreso. Varias personas resultaron heridas durante enfrentamientos con la policía. pic.twitter.com/Fdu3jZPa48

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There’s been a low, simmering level of discontent in Peru and it’s been that way for actually quite some time,” said Jo-Marie Burt, a visiting professor at Princeton University’s program in Latin American studies who has researched Peruvian politics for decades. The discontent, Burt said, has been fueled by corruption scandals, economic insecurity, rising crime and anger over a lack of accountability over dozens of protesters who were killed by security forces when Boluarte assumed power in late 2022 after former President Pedro Castillo was removed from office and arrested.

The Institute of Peruvian Studies’ July report, opens new tab shows Boluarte’s approval rating at 2.5%, with Congress’ at 3%. Aside from the unrest in Lima, protests have rattled the country’s mining industry. Hudbay Minerals (HBM.TO), opens new tab said on Tuesday it temporarily shut down its mill in Peru amid ongoing unrest. Peru is the world’s third largest copper producer and a major producer of gold and silver.

The protests, Burt says, are unfolding in a wider context in which democracies across the globe are under pressure, and follow the administration’s efforts to weaken courts, watchdogs and prosecutors. “It’s very reminiscent of what happened in the 1990s under Fujimori, when the justice system was essentially captured to consolidate authoritarian control,” she said.