Peru’s unpopular president gives herself a huge pay raise

LIMA: Peru’s highly unpopular President Dina Boluarte has doubled her salary with one year left in her term, the government announced Wednesday.

The 63-year-old head of state, who faces protests against an explosion of gang violence in the country, will now receive the equivalent of $10,000 per month, according to an official decree.

The statement comes after the presidency denied reports in May saying Boluarte was going to get a pay raise.

Economy Minister Raul Perez-Reyes said the new salary figure was determined after a comparison with the salaries of heads of state from twelve Latin American countries.

Until the change, Boluarte’s salary had ranked 11th, only ahead of that of the Bolivian president.

With Boluarte’s approval rating hovering around 2 percent in May, the announcement did not go over well.

“This is the worst time to announce this news, given her approval ratings are close to zero,“ economist Jorge Gonzáles Izquierdo said on N television.

According to former Economy Minister Luis Miguel Castilla, the measure “reinforces the impression of frivolity” surrounding the president.

Protests greeted Boluarte’s rise to power in December 2022, and have marked her entire term -- joined by assorted scandals, investigations, controversies and a surge in gang violence.

She is the target of a dozen probes, including one for her alleged failure to declare gifts of luxury jewels and watches, a scandal inevitably dubbed “Rolexgate.”