Peru’s President Is the Most Hated in Latin America
Peru’s unelected president, Dina Boluarte, remains in office despite abysmal approval ratings and calls for elections. Authoritarianism and repression are all the government has left.
Dina Boluarte at the summit of heads of state and government of the South American Amazon countries on August 7, 2023 in Belém, Brazil. (Filipe Bispo / dpa / picture alliance via Getty Images)
Peruvian president Dina Boluarte is the most disliked head of state in Latin America. She faces intense backlash at each public appearance, with the latest incident unfolding this past January during a presidential visit to the Andean region of Ayacucho. Despite strict security measures, two indigenous women managed to approach Boluarte, denouncing her as a murderer. In a bold move, one of the women grabbed her and shook her while the other deftly evaded the guards and pulled her hair.
Boluarte has faced many such explosions of anger since December 15, 2022, when, only a week after taking office, the Peruvian army committed a massacre in Ayacucho under her command. Among the ten fatalities were the fifteen-year-old son of Hilaria Aime and the husband of Ruth Bárcena, the two women who confronted the president earlier this year. Hilaria’s son was fatally shot in the back by a soldier while returning from his cemetery job cleaning graves. Ruth miscarried a pair of twins after donating blood in a failed attempt to save her husband.
Boluarte’s Ascension
Boluarte assumed office after serving as vice president for just over sixteen months. She rose to power following the removal of President Pedro Castillo, who unlawfully attempted to dissolve Congress and establish an emergency government when faced with the third impeachment proceeding of his term.
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