One dead, dozens injured as Peru’s new president faces widespread protests

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(Corrects paragraph 5 to identify person killed as Eduardo Mauricio Ruiz. The previous version of this story incorrectly identified him as Fernando Losada, who is a representative from the Ombudsman’s office)

By Marco Aquino and Alexander Villegas

LIMA (Reuters) -At least one person was killed and dozens of police officers injured in widespread protests overnight in Peru against President Jose Jeri, who assumed power just days ago, the state ombudsman’s office said on Thursday.

The protest on Wednesday night, called by young Gen Z protesters, transport workers and civil groups, was the latest in a series of demonstrations against corruption and rising crime, which led to the dramatic midnight ouster of former President Dina Boluarte last Thursday.

Thousands of protesters amassed around the country, with hundreds clashing with police outside Congress in Lima. Police fired tear gas while some protesters hurled fireworks, rocks and burning objects.

“Everyone must go!” protesters chanted when they reached Congress and tried to tear down metal barriers protecting the building, leading to clashes. 

 A 32-year-old man, Eduardo Mauricio Ruiz, was killed during the protest and his death will be investigated, said Fernando Losada, a representative from the country’s Ombudsman’s office.

Peru’s prosecutor’s office said Ruiz died after being shot, but did not say who had fired. Jeri expressed regret over the death in a post on X, saying the death would be “objectively” investigated. 

Jeri earlier said 55 police officers and 20 civilians were injured in the protest, blaming “delinquents who infiltrated a peaceful demonstration to sow chaos.”

“The full force of the law will be on them,” he wrote.

Wednesday’s protests were a bellwether for how Jeri’s short-lived presidency, which ends next July due to scheduled elections, could play out. 

Jeri, 38, has promised to make crime his top priority, but has faced a number of scandals himself, including corruption allegations and a now-shelved investigation for sexual assault. Jeri has denied wrongdoing in both cases and expressed willingness to cooperate with any corruption investigation.

Boluarte faced widespread protests after she assumed power in late 2022, leading to dozens of deaths and a plunge in her popularity levels, which oscillated between 2% and 4% in the days leading up to her ouster.

Congress – which was headed by Jeri before he became president – is almost equally unpopular with a single-digit approval rating.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima; Writing by Alexander Villegas, editing by Deepa Babington)