Peru’s President Boluarte Says She’ll Remain in Power Until 2026

(Bloomberg) -- Peru’s President Dina Boluarte plans to stay in power until 2026, she said in her first explicit statement on the issue since congress rejected her proposal to bring elections forward to this year.

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“That issue of bringing elections forward is closed, we will keep working responsibly” until July 2026, Boluarte said in a press conference in Lima on Thursday.

If she manages to stay in power, Boluarte would have served longer than her five most recent predecessors.

Peru, however, is notorious for its high presidential turnover and for imprisoning former leaders. Boluarte is Peru’s sixth president since 2016 and is facing a criminal investigation in connection with the deaths of close to 60 civilians amid protests seeking her ouster. Human rights organizations have called some of the deaths extra-judicial executions. Currently, three former Peruvian presidents are jailed in a purpose-built facility.

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The current presidential term started in July 2021 and should run until July 2026. Boluarte was serving as vice president but came to power when then-President Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested after attempting to illegally dissolve congress. While Castillo oversaw a left-wing administration, Boluarte has governed in alliance with conservative parties that control congress.

She remains highly unpopular, however, with a 14% approval rating, according to an Ipsos poll this month.

Protesters demanding Boluarte’s resignation wrecked the economy earlier this year, blocking roads that disrupted the mining, agricultural and tourism sectors leading to Peru’s first quarterly contraction since the pandemic. The economy has struggled to recover since then.

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