As protests persist, Peru congress rejects bid to advance election

• Peru's congress rejected a call to bring elections forward to 2023.
• The country has been wracked by protests.
• There are shortages of food, fuel and other basic commodities in several regions.

Peru's congress on Wednesday voted down a third bid to advance elections from April 2024 to this year, a move sought by President Dina Boluarte to calm deadly unrest amid anti-government protests.

After five hours of debate, lawmakers rejected a bill that would have advanced elections to December by 68 votes to 54, with two abstentions.

Peru has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily demonstrations since 7 December, when then president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

In seven weeks of demonstrations, 48 people - including one police officer - have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters, according to the human rights ombudsman's office.

READ | Peru president insists 'I will not resign' as protests rage

Roadblocks erected by protesters have caused shortages of food, fuel and other basic commodities in several regions of the Andean nation.

Demonstrators demand the dissolution of Congress, a new constitution, and the resignation of Boluarte, who as vice president took over with Castillo gone.

In December, lawmakers moved elections originally due in 2026 up to April 2024 - but as protesters dug in their heels, Boluarte called for holding the vote this year instead.

Two previous bills to bring the vote forward were rejected by congress.

Boluarte has said that if a third attempt at passing the bill also failed, as it now has, she would propose a constitutional reform allowing a first voting round to be held in October and a runoff in December.

According to a survey by the Institute of Peruvian Studies, 73% of citizens want elections this year.