By María Josefina Arce
The outlook is complicated for the self-proclaimed president of Peru. Scandal after scandal shakes the government of Dina Boluarte, who has the highest unpopularity recorded by a leader of the Andean country in the last two decades, since the political crisis is added to the economic, social and insecurity crisis.
To the recent case of high-end watches, which led to the opening of an investigation against Boluarte for the alleged crimes of illicit enrichment and harm to the State, the arrest in recent days of her brother Nicolás Boluarte was added as part of an investigation by criminal organization.
But the curious thing is that the president, supported by Interior Minister Walter Ortiz, had hours before dissolved the police group that supports the Special Team of Prosecutors against corruption.
The action has led the Prosecutor's Office to open a preliminary investigation against Dina Boluarte and the head of the Interior for personal concealment and abuse of authority.
Boluarte has not stopped being at the center of the controversy, since she took office in December 2022, after the dismissal and subsequent arrest of the president elected at the polls in the 2021 elections, Pedro Castillo.
The current head of state, who has been adding scandal after scandal in less than two years at the head of the country, is also accused of the strong police repression against the demonstrations against the dismissal of Castillo that left dozens of dead.
Added to this is the difficult situation that a part of the citizens are going through. According to official data, poverty grew in Peruvian territory in 2023, for the second consecutive year, reaching 29% of the population.
The National Institute of Statistics and Informatics indicated that 10 million Peruvians are poor and their homes cannot cover a daily food basket and other essential expenses.
This situation is more alarming in rural areas, where according to the entity, poverty reaches almost 40% of its inhabitants.
Another problem that worries citizens and that has not found a valid response from the Boluarte government is insecurity. A survey last March revealed that 84% of Peruvians do not feel safe on the streets of their city. But this figure grows to 92% in Lima, the capital.
The truth is that Boluarte faces rejection from a large part of society since she assumed the presidency. A rejection that has been increasing, given the scandals of corruption and abuse of power and the political, economic and social crises that affect Peru.
