Dina Boluarte is a powerful name in politics right now. Coming into office not only at a time of heated controversy for Peru (on the heels of former President Pedro Castillo’s impeachment), she also swooped at a watershed moment as the country’s first female president.
It’s a big moment for Latin American women, a region that was heavily criticized last year for having no female presidents. Boluarte (60) took up office last week after serving as the vice president of the country from 2021. Her background lies in law and civil service. However, for some protesters—despite her come-ups— the powerhouse lawyer still bares the association with Castillo, calling her critique of the former president something of a fail-safe.
Given Peru’s current socio-political turbulence under Castillo’s short but impactful era of corruption that ended in his arrest, there are those who believe that Boluarte will reel in a different perspective, especially as a woman in leadership.
However, some Peruvians were not as receiving due to their own pro-Castillo alignments, demanding new elections after calling Boluarte a “traitor” to Castillo, per AP.
Over the weekend, the new president swore in her cabinet with a Cabinet of 8 women and 9 men, all of whom pledged an anti-corruption oath.
Boluarte will for now, be expected to serve Castillo’s remaining time in office; roughly three and a half years, unless public pressure pushes for early elections.
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Feature Image: Twitter/ @descifraguerra
