It was announced a curfew in Peru on April 5 by the president, Pedro Castillo.

Following an extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers, Pedro Castillo, sent a message to all citizens regarding the national crisis in several regions of the country.

The President of Peru, gave a public speech to the nation this Monday, April 4, in the wake of the protests provoked by the rise in prices nationwide and announced that the Council of Ministers approved a curfew on April 5, from 2:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.

In line with the supreme executive order, workers in the following areas will be able to keep doing their jobs during the mandatory curfew: health, medicine, continuity of water services, sanitation, electric power, gas, fuel, telecommunications and related activities, cleaning and solid waste disposal, funeral services, transportation of cargo and goods and other related activities.

Calling for serenity and tranquility, the president said, “Protest is a constitutional right, but it must be carried out within the framework of the law.”

A preliminary note

Pedro Castillo’s speech will be given after a special session of the Council of Ministers as a consequence of the crisis caused by manifestations of several unions of transporters, traders, farmers, among others, regarding the increase in prices of the products that supply these sectors.

Aníbal Torres, head of the Council of Ministers, and the other ministers were also present at the meeting in the Palace. The aim of the meeting was to “determine further measures in response to the demands of the country’s segments and promote as well the dialogue process established by the Government”.

Pedro Castillo, through the Secretary General of the Palace, accepted the invitation made by the head of the Congress, María del Carmen Alva, to attend the Parliament this Tuesday, April 5 at 3:00 p.m. for a coordination meeting in view of the national crisis.

Notwithstanding, Alva reiterated her invitation to Castillo for the meeting to take place in the Legislative Palace and not in the presidential office, at 8:00 a.m., located in the Government Palace.

Protests remain in spite of consensus with transportation companies

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) announced last Sunday, April 3, that the Executive Branch and the transport union agreed on lifting the suspension carried out seven days ago after the increase in fuel prices.

Stated through twitter by the MTC that, after an extensive dialogue between Pedro Castillo; the Prime Minister, Aníbal Torres; the Minister of Transport and Communications, Nicolás Bustamante; and representatives of the National Front of Transporters and Heavy Load Drivers, they signed an understanding to end the protests of the transporters.

Nonetheless, this agreement has not been complied with by the rank and file at national level, which continue the demonstrations, resulting in four deaths so far.