Will American tourists in Peru be able to return home after the protests in Machu Picchu before Christmas?

Peru’s President Pedro Castillo has had his jail term extended to 18 months as the nation grapples with his attempted dissolution of Congress, sparking constitutional crisis, popular revolt, and widespread state suppression.

While winning the presidential elections by the tightest of margins, Castillo was hamstrung from enacting significant changes to the law due to the make-up of Peru’s unicameral congress. His opponent, Keiki Fujimori, is the daughter of jailed dictator Alberto Fujimori and she publicly challenged the legitimacy of Castillo’s win with the support of the army and elites in Peru. Army officers penned a letter denouncing Castillo.

“From the beginning the Peruvian right wing tried to overthrow a government democratically elected by the people, by the humble classes seeking more inclusion and social justice,” wrote Luis Arce, President of Bolivia.

The vote which Castillo sought to avoid was the third impeachment vote against him conducted by the Peruvian Congress. Supporters of the ousted president say his conduct was necessary to prevent him being removed from power by a hostile legislature. Opponents say it was necessary to oust him to secure democracy despite the fact many of the congressional representatives are supporters of the former Fujimori dictatorship.

Peruvians have turned out on the streets in their thousands in support of Castillo. His former vice president, Dina Boluarte, has taken over but is presiding over a government in collapse and services at a halt. At least 20 peopel have been killed while Education Minister Patricia Correa and Culture Minister Jair Perez announced their resignations in response.

“State violence cannot be disproportionate and cause death,” Correa said on her Twitter account.

What about the tourists at Machu Picchu?

A consequence of these protests is that airports and transport has been blocked across the country. One of these Cusco International, serves as the main airport for Peru’s largest tourist attraction Machu Picchu.

“There are 5,000 tourists stranded in the city of Cusco, they are in their hotels waiting for flights to restart,” Darwin Baca, mayor of the town of Machu Picchu, told the AFP news agency.

Although flights are rumoured to have restarted, other transport problems have meant that tourists are needing to walk 20 miles to nearby towns to access rail services. Helicopters have also been used to evacuate tourists.