Disillusionment among voters has grown, and the parliament now has an approval rating of only 7%. Angry protesters have demanded a clean sweep of the Congress and immediate elections.
In an attempt to resolve the impasse and appease the protesters, the new President Dina Boluarte, who was Castillo’s deputy, called for snap elections and urged Congress to move quickly.
Popular Force has introduced a bill, as has Peru Libre. But both were rejected, with some MPs reluctant to support the opposition and disagreement over whether the bill should include a referendum for a new constitution.
Flávio Cruz, a congressman from Peru Libre, blamed the right to “take over” the state, but acknowledged that Congress had let the people down by not reaching an agreement.
“We have a dysfunctional Parliament, which should have kept harmony, unity, dialogue, consent and agreement,” he said. “There has never been an understanding between us. This is what the population is punishing. Our inability to agree.”
Little progress has been made in days of closed-door talks, with factions holding their ground on red-line policies.
An incensed Boluaarte introduced his bill, which called for elections in October and a new president to take office on 31 December.
Even if an agreement is eventually reached, analysts said Peru’s beleaguered political system is unlikely to restart.
Andrea Moncada, a Peruvian political analyst, said, “There is little agreement within political parties on what to do.”
“If we have elections in a year or by some miracle by the end of this year, the parties registered to participate are the ones that are in Congress now.”