Peruvian President Humala Facing Political, Social Crises

On Monday, a protest demanding water and drainage services for the outskirts of Lima added to the series of ongoing social conflicts that have contributed to the political crisis Peruvian President Ollanta Humala is facing.

Humala is also facing a crisis in Congress, where he continues to lose members. Last week, Vice President Marisol Espinoza resigned from her post and became the 19th Congress member to quit the ruling Nationalist Party.

The political crisis was also deepened by another event that took place last week. Last Tuesday, Justice Minister Gustavo Adrianzen resigned from his post two days before he was to face a vote by Congress to sanction him for removing Judge Julia Principe, who was investigating cases of corruption involving First Lady Nadine Heredia.

Adrianzen was President Humala’s sixth justice minister.

One of the remaining ruling party congressmen, Agustin Molina, defended the government and implied his colleges who resigned were traitors who have ulterior motives.

"(The) truth is there are few of us left but we are the real nationalists, the ones who truly believe in the government, and defend our government,” he said. “Therefore, I believe that those congress members who have left have probably done so because their needs have not been satisfied."

Public opinion approval ratings for the president are at an all-time low of 12 percent, according to a Sunday poll by GFK.

Reynaldo Robles, who participated on Monday’s protests, does not support the president any more because “he made promises to the people but in the end he did not fulfill his promises. The main needs we have are water and drainage systems which are main elements for human life."

Political analyst Abraham Valencia said the feeling of betrayal expressed by Robles is common.

Valencia explained, "you have people who knew this program, this government plan, and they are going to tell you that Ollanta did not follow it. He did not follow through with almost anything that he promised, of the issues he raised during the election campaign not only in 2011 but also in 2006."

Presidential and general elections will take place next April but all the possible candidates of the ruling party have been polling at single digits. If elections were held today, the party of Ollanta Humala would no longer hold any significant political power.