52% Find the Corruption Charges Against Peru’s President Completely True

Thousands took to the streets in Peru to protest against the government, demanding the resignation or impeachment of President Pedro Castillo.

During the societal march called “Reacciona Perú” (Peru Reacts), the demonstrators carried signs that read “Get out of here, Castillo!”, “Castillo, corrupt” and “Vacancia ya” (impeachment now!).

Castillo, who started as president in July 2021, has already faced two impeachment attempts and has six criminal investigations open against him. He also has a constitutional complaint filed by Peru’s attorney general that is now in the hands of Congress and could end in another impeachment or suspension.

However, Castillo denies that his family has committed crimes and claims to be the victim of a plot against him. In light of the anti-government protests in Peru, Real Research, an online survey app, launched a survey to gather opinions about the mass demonstrations against inflation and President Pedro Castillo’s government.

9 in 10 Are Aware of the Anti-government Protests in Peru

In detail, 62.64% of survey respondents are fully aware, while 28.08% have heard but lack the details. The remaining 9.28%, however, are unaware of the mass anti-government protests.

The survey on the anti-government protests and clashes in Peru amid economic crisis further highlights the following:

• 49.67% blame economic stagnation due to COVID-19 as the cause of rising inflation rates in Peru
• 52.77% find the corruption accusations against Pedro Castillo’s administration as completely true
• 46.84% still believe President Castillo was most definitely able to keep to his promises

Causes of Rising Inflation Rates in Peru

The anti-government protests in Peru are primarily due to rising inflation rates on fuel, fertilizer, etc. Peru’s annual inflation rate reportedly hit 7.96% in April— the highest it has been in over 24 years. For the reasons behind the rising inflation rates, the following were voted upon by the respondents:

Economic stagnation due to COVID-19 got blamed by 49.67%, followed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis (19.57%), rising commodity prices (8.85%), and the global price spike (5.76%).

Impacts of Peru’s Rising Inflation Rates

According to the survey respondents, these are the sectors that would most likely be affected given the economic climate of Peru:

First is the tourism sector, as believed by 10.25%. Next are utilities (10.22%), food (7.96%), energy (7.62%), and commodities (7.5%).

Respondents also cited the macroeconomic consequences of rising inflation rates in Peru. These include economic recession (25.95%), an increase in poverty (9.82%), and the widening gap between the rich and the poor (9.06%). Others said the rise in the cost of living (7.97%) and fall in incomes (7.06%).

Peru’s President on Corruption Charges

President Pedro Castillo’s administration is accused of corruption, which has upset Peruvian citizens that caused mass anti-government protests in Peru. The accusations are found by the majority (52.77%) of respondents as completely true, while 22.91% think it is mostly true, and 11.35% believe it is partially true.

Consequently, the anti-government protests in Peru demand the resignation of their president. The survey that gathered respondents’ views on the resignation of President Castillo shows about 7 in 10 (69.78%) are for it, leaving the rest (30.22%) against the president resigning.

The Future of Peru

Two of Castillo’s promises in his presidential speech was to hike taxes on mining to fund health and education reforms and to provide salaries for underprivileged Peruvians. Even after his corruption charges, 46.84% still believe he was most definitely able to keep to his promises. 22.46% say he somewhat kept his pledges, and 17.69% consider he did on average.

Lastly, respondents’ opinions were asked about how likely it is for Peru to get out of its economic crisis. Despite the majority remaining neutral (36.8%), most of the remaining were optimistic that it is highly likely (26.85%) for Peru’s economic crisis to stop. In contrast, 4.59% believe it is highly unlikely.