From the New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi, and this is The Daily.

A few weeks ago, when the President of Peru attempted an illegal power grab, the response

was unexpected.

Thousands of citizens took to the streets in support of him.

Some protesters even died.

Today, I spoke with my colleague, Julie Turquoise, about why such a divisive leader has had

such fierce support, and what it tells us about a new era of instability in South America.

It's Thursday, December 22nd.

Julie, hi.

Hi.

You are in Peru right now.

Tell me what's going on there.

So Peru is mired in this political crisis that poses the biggest threat to its democracy

in years, and you know, that says a lot because Peru is a country that has experienced a lot

of political crisis.

For more than a week now, we have seen people protesting all across the country.

And these protests are a response to this pretty big event, the President being arrested

and jailed.

And so I went to the detention center where this President is being held.

And the scene is pretty remarkable.

There are at least a thousand people there.

Many of them have come from rural areas hundreds of miles away.

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