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2 killed in Peru as protests spread against new president
Protests In Peru: The protests have swelled since the country's legislature threw out the leftist Castillo after he tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.
Protests against Peru's new government turned deadly on Sunday, with two people killed as police clashed with angry demonstrators calling for a national strike, fresh elections and the release of detained former president Pedro Castillo.
The protests have swelled, notably in the northern and Andean towns, since the South American country's legislature on Wednesday threw out the leftist Castillo after he tried to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.
Dina Boluarte, a former prosecutor who had served as Castillo's vice president, was quickly sworn in to replace him.
On Saturday, she introduced her new cabinet, a group with an independent and technocratic profile and including eight women.
She named former prosecutor Pedro Angulo as prime minister.
After his impeachment, Castillo was quickly arrested, and on Sunday demonstrators in cities across the country's interior -- including Cajamarca, Arequipa, Huancayo, Cusco and Puno -- demanded his release.
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New clashes broke out Sunday between protesters and police in the southern city of Andahuaylas, leaving two dead and at least five injured -- including a police officer -- as demonstrators attempted to storm the city's airport, authorities said.
'Remain calm'
Riot police were deployed to the airport to contain the thousands of demonstrators in Andahuaylas, which lies in Boluarte's home region of Apurimac.
Protesters fired slingshots and hurled stones, while police responded with tear gas, images from the scene broadcast by local TV showed. A police station in the Apurimac town of Huancabamba was set on fire, RPP radio reported.
"I urge people to remain calm," Interior Minister Cesar Cervantes told the station, as he announced the second death shortly after police confirmed the first -- a teenager.
Clashes in Andahuaylas on Saturday saw 16 civilians and four police officers injured.
"No Peruvians life should be sacrificed for political interests," Boluarte tweeted Sunday evening, reiterating a call for "dialogue and the rejection of violence."
The country's right-leaning Congress convened in emergency session Sunday afternoon to discuss the crisis, but had to be suspended after physical altercations broke out.
In images posted on social media, a man can be seen punching another man from behind and then members shoving each other in the center of the chamber.
Some 1,000 to 2,000 people rallied in Lima on Sunday shouting, "Castillo you are not alone, the people support you" and brandishing signs accusing "Dina and Congress" of being "corrupt rats," before police dispersed the crowd with tear gas.
