Peru's week of unrest
Peru’s interim president Manuel Merino resigned Sunday as the nation plunged into its worst constitutional crisis in two decades following massive protests unleashed when Congress ousted the nation’s popular leader.
The protests rocking Peru are unlike any seen in recent years, fueled largely by young people typically apathetic to the country’s notoriously erratic politics. Protesters are upset at Congress for staging what they consider an illegal power grab as well as whom Merino had chosen to lead his nascent government.
People who are refusing to recognize Peru's new government march with a giant national flag after lawmakers voted the previous night to remove President Martin Vizcarra from office in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A man holds a poster with an image of Peru's newly sworn-in President Manuel Merino with a message that reads in Spanish: "He is not my president," during a protest by people who are refusing to recognize the new government, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A folk artist performs next to a police line outside Congress, as those gathered wait for news from inside on who will be the country's next president, in Lima, Peru, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
In a short televised address, Merino said Congress acted within the law when he was sworn into office as chief of state Tuesday, despite protesters’ allegations that legislators had staged a parliamentary coup.
The politician agreed to step down Sunday after a night of unrest in which two young protesters were killed and half his Cabinet resigned. Peruvians cheered the decision, waving their nation’s red and white flag on the streets of Lima and chanting “We did it!” But there is still no clear playbook for what comes next.
Congress scheduled an emergency session for Sunday afternoon to select a new president.
Text from AP news story “Peru’s interim president resigns as chaos embroils nation” by Franklin Briceno and Christine Armario
Photos by Rodrigo Abd