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Death of two students at a protest compels Peru’s President to resign

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Peru, Lima, City of Kings. Tourists Haven

Peru’s interim president has resigned, a day after two people died during protests against his government.


According to reports, Manuel Merino, former speaker of Congress, had been in the post less than a week.

He replaced President Martín Vizcarra, who last Monday was removed in an impeachment procedure over bribery allegations, which he denies.
Politicians had called for Mr Merino’s resignation after a violent crackdown on demonstrators against him.

Twelve ministers from his recently appointed cabinet resigned earlier on Sunday in protest against police brutality and his handling of the crisis.
Congress failed to agree on a replacement for Mr Merino when it met on Sunday, rejecting a team led by Rocío Silva Santisteban, a writer and former human rights activist.

A new list, made up of an interim president and senior politicians from across the spectrum, was being drafted.

(FILES) In this file picture taken on 10th November 2020, the head of the Peruvian Congress, Manuel Merino, waves after being sworn in as interim President in Lima, day after the Congress voted to impeach and oust President Martin Vizcarra over corruption allegations. – Peru’s President Manuel Merino resigned on Novemer 15, 2020, just five days after taking office, sparking wild street celebrations in the capital Lima after protests against his rule. (Photo by Luka GONZALES / AFP)

WHY WERE THERE PROTESTS?
Tens of thousands of demonstrators – many of them youths – have been taking part in protests against Mr Vizcarra’s removal in recent days.

They accuse Congress of staging a parliamentary coup. Mr Vizcarra, 57, has enjoyed continued support among many voters for his attempts at reform.

Saturday’s protests in Lima were largely peaceful but clashes broke out towards the evening between police and protesters.

Mass Protest in Peru’s capital, Lima

Police reportedly fired tear gas and shotgun pellets to repel demonstrators, some of whom had thrown fireworks and stones.

Two students, Jack Pintado, 22, and Inti Sotelo, 24, were killed in the protests.

In a statewide television broadcast, Merino said, “I want to let the whole country know that I’m resigning.”

There are concerns of a growing political crisis as Peru faces a severe economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Jorge Chávez International Airport, is Peru’s main international and domestic airport. It is located in Callao, 11 kilometers from Lima, the nation’s capital city and 17 km from Miraflores. During 2017, the airport served 22,025,704 passengers.

Peru imposed one of the earliest and strictest lockdowns in Latin America to stop the spread of coronavirus – but has still seen cases rise rapidly.

It has so far reported nearly 935,000 infections and more than 35,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University – making it the country with the third-highest rate of deaths per 100,000 people in the world.

Yet air travel flourishes in the country and within the region, commercial activities are fast experiencing a rebound even in the face of imminent logjam within Peru’s political class and the people.
BBC.

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