Peru's Third President in a Week Takes Oath, Calls for Peace to End Chaotic Protests

By Neil P. First Posted: Nov 19, 2020 07:55 AM EST

Peru's third interim president took an oath in just over a week after former interim president Manuel Merino resigned from his post due to violent protests across the country.

(Photo : Getty Images/Hugo Curotto)
Newly appointed interim President Francisco Sagasti waves as he walks out of Congress wearing the presidential sash after taking oath on November 17, 2020 in Lima, Peru.

Amid the global pandemic, Peru is also experiencing political turmoil. The Peruvian Congress impeached President Martin Vizcarra over corruption allegations and bribery during his term as a governor years ago. His impeachment resulted in the search for Peru's next leader.

Meanwhile, Congress appointed Manuel Merino as the country's interim president and he took an oath on Tuesday last week.

He immediately faced opposition from those who refused to follow him. In fact, this prompted different violent protests across Peru.

The violent protests led to the death of two persons while 94 other individuals got injured, according to a previous report. This forced Merino to file his resignation just five days after he took office. Most of his cabinet members also filed their resignations.

Peru's third interim president took oath

On Tuesday this week, Peru's third interim President Francisco Sagasti took his oath of office. He promised to restore trust in the government and paid homage to two young men who died during the violent protest last week. Police authorities used tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators.

According to Associated Press, Sagasti said, "We can't bring them back to life. But we can stop this from happening again."

Meanwhile, people in Lima were cautiously optimistic that the third interim president could return the stability in the country after a week of upheaval.

Despite the Sagasti's commitment, young Peruvians are still enraged with the government. They even marched in the capital after the ceremony.

The President Elections in Peru will be in April next year. This means that Sagasti will only have six months to lead the country, according to New York Times.

Peru experienced the lack of a designated president for more than 24 hours, that's why Peru's Congress voted Sagasti as the country's leader. Since Merin did not have a vice president when he resigned, that made Sagasti next in line.

Sagasti's long scholarly record

Sagasti has a wide experience in engineering. He is also a respected scholar and wrote different books. One of them was titled "Democracy and Good Governance."

In addition to that, he was also among the hostages by Tupac Amaru rebels at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima in 1996.

Michael Shifter, who is head of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank and knows the new president, said that Sagasti's reputation as a consensus builder makes him an apt choice for the moment.

"He always had ideas about trying to build bridges in Peru. That's what he really stood for," Shifter added.

Shortly after taking oath, Sagasti visited hospitals where injured individuals were recovering after becoming head of the Congress. He told the injured individuals that he will do everything in his power to bring back hope in Peru. He also reiterated this during his speech on Tuesday.

Instead of criticizing demonstrators, he praised them for reminding politicians of the democratic values they are sworn to uphold. He also pledged to continue the fight against corruption and to rename a presidential scholarship in honor of Peru's youth.