Peruvian President Jose Herrera declared a 30-day state of emergency in the capital Lima and the neighboring province of Callao, explaining that the measure was aimed at tackling rising crime, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The state of emergency was imposed after last week's protests, in which one person was killed and more than 100 were injured. Peru's president said the measure, which was approved by the Council of Ministers and will take effect after midnight, authorizes the deployment of the armed forces along with the police to maintain public order. He did not provide further details.
"We are moving from defense to offense in the fight against crime, a fight that will allow us to restore peace, tranquility and trust to millions of Peruvians," Hery said in a televised address.
Peru's new president took office earlier this month following the impeachment of his predecessor, Dina Boluarte, after several motions were filed to remove her. Last week, Herry, who was the speaker of Peru’s parliament before taking office, introduced the new government, promising to make fighting crime a top priority.
Last week, the president also faced his first major protest, organized by Generation Z youth, along with representatives of social movements, political parties and unions, who gathered in front of the Congress building in Lima to demand tougher measures against rising crime.
The protests in Peru began a month ago with demands for better pensions and wages for young people and have expanded to reflect the discontent of Peruvians tired of crime, corruption and decades of frustration with their government, Reuters notes.
This is not the first time Peru has declared a state of emergency to address security concerns. Although the former president imposed the same 30-day measure in March, analysts and security experts say the repeated declarations of a state of emergency have not contributed to a reduction in crime, Reuters notes.