LIMA, Dec 20 (AFP) - Peru's Congress on Tuesday voted to move up general elections from 2026 to April 2024 in a bid to ease political tensions and head off deadly protests sparked by the ouster and arrest of president Pedro Castillo.

Lawmakers voted 93-30 with one abstention to approve the change in the electoral calendar. The measure also stipulated that current President Dina Boluarte hand power to the winner of those elections in July 2024.

The leader of the legislature, Jose Williams, said for the measure to take effect, it would need to be ratified in another vote in the coming months.

Castillo was removed from office and detained earlier this month after seeking to dissolve Congress to rule by decree -- a move criticized by leftist Latin American allies including Mexico, and which brought thousands of his supporters into the streets.

A subsequent security clampdown, including the deployment of armed soldiers during a state of emergency declared under Boluarte, followed, but officials say at least 21 people have died in the unrest. More than 650 others have been injured.

Demonstrations rattled the country, with roadblocks and airport disruptions, and thousands of tourists were left stranded, including at the famed Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.

Polls show that 83 percent of citizens are in favor of bringing elections forward to resolve the crisis roiling the South American nation.

On Tuesday, a delegation from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights arrived in Lima to meet with authorities as part of a fact-finding mission on the volatile political situation.