Free Republic

Peru’s new president Pedro Castillo, 51, deserves credit for vowing to focus his government on improving the lives of the country’s poverty-stricken indigenous population. But his first steps in office raise fears that he will scare away investors, generate capital flight and — after a short-lived populist fiesta — create more poverty. Castillo, a leftist former elementary school teacher who had never before held public office, assumed the presidency on July 28 after winning the runoff elections with a razor-thin 0.3 percent of the vote. He controls only 37 seats in the 130-member Congress. Some hoped that Castillo’s minority in...

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte announced on Sunday that she would soon present two proposals: to hold presidential elections this year, rather than in 2026 as planned, and “total” constitutional reform. Boluarte vowed to make the changes if the nation’s Congress failed to pass the measures. The latter, a core demand of far-left rioters whose violence has resulted in 58 deaths and counting, would essentially result in a complete overhaul of Peru’s constitution. Leftists have been rioting in the country for nearly two months, erecting roadblocks to cut food supplies and burning down historic buildings, following the impeachment and arrest of...