Andrés Manuel López Obrador vs Dina Boluarte: the Pacific Alliance

Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Dina Boluarte have exchanged accusations with each other, over the Pacific Alliance and the case of former president Pedro Castillo.

«I do not want to hand over a government that I consider spurious. I do not want to legitimize a coup d’état», said López Obrador this Friday in reference to the presidency of the Pacific Alliance, an economic block formed by Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru.

On a political level, during the fourth quarter of 2022 and early 2023, there were a series of events that led to social conflicts, acts of violence and increased political instability in Peru.

On December 7, then Peruvian President Pedro Castillo gave a presidential message in which he announced his decision to dissolve the Congress, intervene the Judiciary, the Attorney General’s Office and the Constitutional Court, in addition to calling for the election of a new Congress with constituent powers.

But this objective failed. Castillo was dismissed that same day by the Congress, and arrested when he was on his way to the Mexican embassy in Lima to request political asylum.

The then Vice President, Dina Boluarte, was sworn in as his replacement as President by constitutional line of succession.

A few days into her term, strong protests broke out in the central, southern and Andean regions of the country, forcing Boluarte to announce that she would propose to Congress an early election for April 2024.

However, and in spite of governmental efforts, protests have not ceased and the level of violence has increased in several areas of the country by sectors of the population demanding the immediate resignation of Boluarte, the closing of Congress, the call for a Constituent Assembly and the release of Pedro Castillo.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador

During the fourth quarter of 2022, global economic activity continued to be affected by high energy prices, the reduction of surplus savings generated during the pandemic, and geopolitical uncertainty.

In Peru, GDP growth was 2.9% as of September, driven mainly by sectors such as services, trade and manufacturing.

This growth was neutralized by the contraction of the metal mining, primary manufacturing and fishing sectors.

Production in the metal mining sector declined due to social conflicts and interruptions in some of the main mines.

At the same time, the fishing sector was affected by the decline in catches for human and industrial consumption, which resulted in lower production of fishmeal and fish oil and canned and frozen fish products.

For the construction sector, it is estimated that growth in 2022 will be around 3.5 percent.

In this economic and political context, Mexico has not recognized the new president Boluarte.

Boluarte expressed this Wednesday that Mexico refuses to hand over the headship of the Pacific Alliance to her.

The President said that López Obrador «because he continues to support the former president (Castillo), who carried out the coup, does not want to hand over the pro tempore presidency of the Pacific Alliance to us».