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Peru apos;s Youth Has Taken Down A President. Now They Want More (view source)
Revision as of 12:12, 23 December 2020
, 12:12, 23 December 2020Created page with "<br>By Marcelo Rochabrun<br> <br>LIMA, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Grace Yarango is only 18 and she's already helped take down a president.<br>Now she - and many other of Peru's millen..."
<br>By Marcelo Rochabrun<br> <br>LIMA, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Grace Yarango is only 18 and she's already helped take down a president.<br>Now she - and many other of Peru's millennials and Generation Z youth - have their eyes on bigger prizes: changes to the constitution and reforming a widely reviled Congress.<br> <br>Peru's younger generation - dubbed the 'bicentennials' in reference to the 200-year anniversary of Peruvian independence next year - were at the heart of recent protests that led to the resignation of the country's interim president on Sunday.<br> <br>The appointment of socially liberal lawmaker Francisco Sagasti on Tuesday - Peru's third president in just over a week - has restored some calm, but the crisis has ignited wider anger at the country's political classes and rampant corruption.<br> <br>That could see Peru follow in the footsteps of Andean neighbor Chile, which in the wake of fiery street demonstrations last year is now rewriting its constitution.<br> <br>"We want to fix the mistakes of past generations," said Yarango, who expects to vote for the first time next year, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/tour-du-lich-trung-khanh-cuu-trai-cau-thanh-do-ha-noi-sai-gon.html kynghidongduong.vn] in elections scheduled for April.<br><br>"I feel part of this bicentennial generation, we want a better country."<br> <br>The protests were sparked by the abrupt removal in an impeachment trial on Nov. 9 of popular, centrist leader Martin Vizcarra by an opposition-led Congress, many of whom had been angered by Vizcarra's anti-graft measures.<br><br>Young Peruvians railed against the lawmakers as corrupt, waving banners calling for constitutional change.<br> <br>"There are no clean lawmakers," said Angelica Guerra, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/tour-du-lich-trung-khanh-cuu-trai-cau-thanh-do-ha-noi-sai-gon.html tour cửu trại câu giá rẻ] 20, heading to a protest in downtown Lima on Tuesday.<br> <br>Peru's bicentennials could be crucial in the April election. Those between 20-34 years of age make up about 40% of those of mandatory voting age, [https://www.kynghidongduong.vn/tours/tour-du-lich-trung-khanh-cuu-trai-cau-thanh-do-ha-noi-sai-gon.html tour cửu trại câu] official figures show.<br><br>They have grown up in a rapidly changing Peru, which has seen years of strong economic growth on the back of mining exports and given them access to communication tools and information their [http://www.usatoday.com/search/parents/ parents] could never have imagined.<br> <br>Over half of those aged 18-24 said they took part in various anti-government protests this month, whether by marching or pot-banging in the streets, a poll by think-tank IEP showed.<br><br>That compared to a third of those aged over 40.<br> <br>Some 90% of Peruvians polled said they disapproved of Congress, and 65% did not identify with any political party, a potentially volatile mix as the economy battles a deep contraction after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.<br> <br>'SPIRIT OF REBELLION'<br> <br>Political leaders are starting to take note.<br> <br>"The great citizen movement today belongs to the youth," Sagasti, 76, said in his inaugural address after taking office.<br> <br>"We have to call on the youth of all ages because there are adults who have a young spirit of rebellion, the youthful spirit of seeking a better country, and that is what we need."<br> <br>Reuters spoke to over a dozen Peruvians, mostly in their twenties, who vowed to keep protesting until the country's leaders agreed to real change.<br><br>Gathering in Lima's Plaza San Martin earlier this week, they were draped in red and white flags and bearing signs saying 'bicentennials.'<br> <br>Many said they wanted to see Peru's unicameral Congress overhauled. Others wanted a new constitution to replace what they described as an illegitimate magna carta, created by former strong-man President Alberto Fujimori in 1993, before many of them were born.<br> <br>Most did not fully witness the violence of Fujimori's government, but have seen one president after another become embroiled in corruption scandals.<br> <br>"People are expecting not just for the presidents to change, but for the institutions to change," said Cesar Landa, a leading constitutional lawyer.<br><br>"This is a constitution-making moment."<br> <br>But challenges remain. The movement as yet has no visible leaders, and anyone under 25 is too young to run for Congress themselves.<br> <br>The protests also met with fierce resistance from security forces, who were widely criticized by human rights organizations for use of excessive force.<br><br>There are ongoing investigations.<br> <br>And none of the political parties have made targeting young voters a cornerstone of their strategy - so far. But Peru's youth has demographics on its side.<br> <br>"Our generation has come together for this," said 20-year-old Evelyn Borja.<br>"This is the first time I feel a part of politics."<br> <br>(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Additional reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Rosalba O'Brien)<br>
