GNV News — April 2, 2025

On March 17, 2025, Peru’s President Dina Boluarte declared a state of emergency in the capital, Lima. The state of emergency will last for 30 days, restricting rights including freedom of assembly and movement.

The declaration was issued against the backdrop of deteriorating security in Peru. The number of homicides in 2024 reached 2,057, a sharp increase from 674 in 2017. Under the declaration, about 1,000 soldiers will be dispatched to Lima to support local police and deployed at major transportation hubs such as stations.

Meanwhile, amid worsening security and a 93% disapproval rating, calls for President Boluarte’s resignation are growing. To stabilize the political situation, President Boluarte announced plans to hold general elections in April 2026, one year from now. The elections will choose a new president, 60 senators for the upper house, and 130 members of the lower house, marking the first bicameral elections since the early 1990s.

Learn more about Peru’s social and political issues → “What lies beyond the ‘coup’: Peru”

Learn more about illegal gold mining in Peru → “Peru: Illegal gold mining that involves the world”

President Dina Boluarte (Photo: Presidencia Perú / Flickr [CC BY-NC-SA 2.0])