AthenaLab Advisor Interviewed by El Mostrador on the Crisis in Peru

José Rodríguez Elizondo Questions the Possibility of a Constitutional Solution in Peru: “The Conditions Are Not Present, There Is No Party System, It Is a Leap into the Void”

Francisca Castillo | January 21, 2023

At what point did Peru go wrong? This is the legendary question posed by Mario Vargas Llosa, which the National Prize for Humanities and Social Sciences seeks to answer in light of the current political crisis in the neighboring country. In conversation with El Mostrador, the diplomat delves into the similarities with the Chilean social outbreak, the feasibility of an institutional solution, and the historical background that explains the discrediting of Peruvian institutions. “The current crisis stems from Alberto Fujimori’s self-coup in 1992, which was clumsily attempted to be replicated by former President Castillo. (…) Since then, the party system has not been reconstituted. These are historical elements that will continue to connect to this culminating moment that was already anticipated,” Rodríguez Elizondo states. In this regard, he adds that for now, a constitutional solution is not viable, as there are no “new democratic elements” in the party structure, while emphasizing that “as bad as the situation of Peruvian institutions may be, it is preferable to a leap into the void.” “The call for elections in 2024 is the minimum timeframe to forge parties aware of what is at stake,” he underscores.

Source: El Mostrador