In 1836, Nikolai Gogol published an absurd story about a state bureaucrat, Kovalev, who woke up one morning without his nose. She has abandoned her face to develop a life of her own to the point of surpassing the civil servant in her career within the State: she becomes a counselor. ‘The Nose’ is a treasure of literature Russian but that could also be called the story that involves Dina Boulartewho on December 7th turned two years as provisional president of Peru. Only 3% of the population approves of her mandate and the possibility of being removed from office by a Congress that holds her hostage is the order of the day in Lima. It is precisely Boularte’s nose that puts his continuity in the Pizarro Palace at stake at the end of the year.
At the beginning of May it was learned that the 61-year-old interim president, in charge of replacing Pedro Castillo after the institutional debacle at the end of 2022, He had been missing for 12 days. The reason for his disconcerting invisibility was surgical. He had had a nose job. At first it was said that it was for image reasons. I needed to rejuvenate my face. The argument found its credibility at times that Boluarte was going through another scandal: the collection of high-end watches and jewelry on their wrists. Later it was assured that he had entered the operating room for health reasons.
The call “aesthetic touch” It appeared to be a footnote for a Government dotted with complaints on different fronts. However, at the end of the year it has reappeared with disconcerting momentum. Boularte’s nose is at the center of his face and the national scene. He is breathing a crisis that threatens again to make him suffer the same fate as the presidents Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, Martín Vizcarra and Castillo himselfall dismissed by a Congress dominated by Fujimurism. The Attorney General’s Office has decided to investigate whether the current head of state committed the constitutional crime of not communicating his “temporary impediment to the exercise of office” to the Council of Ministers and the legislative branch. Relentless awaits you motion of censure if his responsibility is proven.
Boluarte assures that there are “interests that seek to destabilize the democratic order”. The accusations against him “are only intended to harm the country’s institutions.” His last speech to the Peruvians could not avoid the nasal question. “It was not an aesthetic intervention, it was a necessary intervention for my health.“I needed it due to respiratory function, which did not cause me any type of incapacity or impediment to exercise my functions as president.” And she also asked the prosecutor’s office to summon her so that the speculations would end. “I am not a liar. “If I have remained silent in front of the media it has been to protect my privacy, as I know any of you would do, but the morbidity created about this case cannot be perpetuated over time.”
Unusual situations
The nose has become a state issue, like in Gogol’s story, and threatens a more absurd end because there have been no shortage of complaints of unauthorized use of public resources. An assistant bought Boluarte, from the public coffers, wet towels, aloe facial cloths and alcohol gelfor values higher than those of the market. But, in addition, there are doubts about the presidential signature of the ministerial minutes of the days in which he was absent.
The former secretary of the Council of Ministers, Teresa Ramírez, has just revealed that during a virtual meeting between Boluarte and her Cabinet, the provisional president she left her chamber in the dark so as not to be seen with post-operation marks. The Executive’s desire was initially to hide it. When the press began to talk about a corrected appearance and an “aesthetic touch-up” there was no other alternative than official recognition. Boluarte, who presents herself as “the mother of all Peruvians,” rehearsed a gender response: they attacked her for being a woman. She did not get feminist groups to come to her defense. “We have to fight against a new evil, a new threat, the war of lies, the ‘fake news’, the false news, created to create image terrorism,” he insisted this December when the nose once again regained the news foreground. .
“If the president has to have surgery, it is a decision that no one can take away from her, even if it is for aesthetic reasons.. “Here we do not discuss the need or not for a medical intervention, what we discuss is whether or not the president had to inform Congress about the operation,” said political analyst Rosa María Palacios.
‘Rolexgate’ again
The interim president exercises power amid shocks. The Prosecutor’s Office and the National Police of Peru raided the home of their spokesperson, Fredy Hinojosa, within the framework of the so-called ‘Qali Warma case’. It is suspected that Hinojosa favored the hiring of a meat processing company to provide its products to a Government food program. The Don Simón preserves contained horsemeat.
Not only Boluarte’s nose is the subject of debate. What your doll wore, an 18-karat rose gold and sapphire crystal Rolex Datejust 36, valued at $18,250among other additions, is another source of problems. The explanations for his jewelry have not been convincing. According to the influential journalist César Hildebrandt, the interim president “has consummated her revenge against the colonel who led the police team that investigated the corruption that compromised her and her brother, and who led the raid on her house last March.” . National Police Colonel Harvey Colchado was retired for his role in ‘Rolexgate’. Nicanor Boularte, meanwhile, has been a fugitive from justice since November. According to Hildebrandt, Boluarte offered Colchado stability in his position “if he delivers evidence that compromises the then Attorney General. The proposed arrangement was intended to paralyze the investigation into the jewelry and watches provided by the governor. of Ayacucho”.
Boluarte’s third year promises more vertigo. For now, the president has called on Peruvians to celebrate in peace. Before going to sleep they should turn off the lights, candles, Christmas decorations and turn off the gas.
