The Peruvian Congress on Wednesday impeached President Pedro Castillo shortly after he attempted to unilaterally take control of the government in an attempted coup. Police later arrested Castillo on charges of “rebellion” against the government and violating the constitutional order after he attempted to dissolve parliament.
Vice President Dina Boluarte has replaced Castillo, making her the first female leader in the country’s history.
Lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to oust Castillo after he announced his intention to dissolve Congress and call an emergency. Castillo declared an “exceptional emergency government” to replace Congress in a televised address to the nation, calling for a fresh round of elections.
Peru's Congress voted to oust President Pedro Castillo in an impeachment trial, just hours after he plunged the country into a constitutional crisis by attempting to dissolve the legislature by decree https://t.co/lbKqWaeTOF pic.twitter.com/O28PS6c9Zh
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 8, 2022
Accordingly, he announced an indefinite nationwide curfew to ensure a smooth transfer of power. Furthermore, he noted that the new government would rule by decree.
“Congress has destroyed the rule of law, democracy, the separation and balance of powers […] with the goal of destroying the presidency and installing a congressional dictatorship,” he declared.
The now-former president, who was facing his third impeachment vote since coming to power in July 2021, said the newly-elected members of Congress would approve a new constitution.
After just under 18 months in office, Peru's far-left president Pedro Castillo has been arrested and removed from office after a failed coup d'état in which he attempted to declare martial law and dissolve the country's congress.
— Ben Kew 🐶 (@ben_kew) December 7, 2022
Communists never change! pic.twitter.com/TxL9SUKJSU
The impeachment motion was passed 101-6, with ten abstentions, as lawmakers determined him “morally unfit” to govern.
“We condemn the breach of the constitutional order,” said Attorney General Patricia Benavides.
“The Political Constitution of Peru enshrines the separation of powers and establishes that Peru is a democratic and sovereign republic … No authority can place itself above the Constitution and must comply with its constitutional mandates,” she added.
While Castillo, 53, rejected the vote against him, the military, former presidents, and opponents have supported the impeachment, which led to Castillo’s quick arrest. According to reports, Castillo sought asylum in the Mexican embassy in Lima before his arrest, with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard saying his government would grant Castillo asylum if requested.
However, Peruvian media showed images of Castillo leaving a police station and reported that he would be transferred to prison.
The US embassy is pushing the narrative that Peru's President Castillo launched a coup. In reality he's victim of a coup by the right-wing-controlled congress
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) December 7, 2022
Police arrested him. Congress swore in a new president Dina Boluarte, who was expelled from the leftist Perú Libre party https://t.co/RNVrT9qIXz pic.twitter.com/T8EmrUPQ51
Newly appointed President Boluarte called her predecessor’s move a “coup d’état that has worsened [Peru’s] political and institutional crisis,” saying his attempt to close Congress “ruptured the constitutional order.”
Urging political factions to remain calm, Boluarte, 60, called for the installation of a national unity government. “What I ask for is a space, a time to rescue the country,” she said.
Meanwhile, the left-wing presidents of Bolivia and Mexico—Luis Arce and Andrés Manuel López Obrador—expressed their support for Castillo. In a thread on Twitter, Arce condemned Castillo’s ouster, calling the move a plot by the Peruvian right to overthrow a democratically elected government. “The constant harassment of anti-democratic elites against progressive, popular and legitimately constituted governments must be condemned by all,” he said.
EARLIER: Demonstrators rallied in the streets of Lima after Peruvian President Pedro Castillo dissolved the nation's Congress moments before his own impeachment vote on Wednesday https://t.co/I6iKingP86 pic.twitter.com/9eIjbmGD8H
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) December 8, 2022
In a similar vein, López Obrador said that while “non-intervention” is a fundamental policy of Mexico’s foreign policy, it is “unfortunate” that Castillo was ousted.
Former Bolivian President Evo Morales accused right-wing politicians of orchestrating Castillo’s removal from power, saying the move would only benefit the Peruvian oligarchy and the United States empire.
Incoming Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was more cautious in his statement and did not express overt support for Castillo. He said that while it is “regrettable that a democratically elected president has this fate,” he understands that Castillo’s ouster was followed in a constitutional manner. “What Peru and South America need right now is dialogue, tolerance and democratic coexistence, to solve the real problems we all face,” he noted.
🚨Peru's Congress has thwarted an attempted autogolpe by (ex) Pres Pedro Castillo, who suspended parliament to save himself from removal from office. He was removed. Vice-President Dina Boluarte has been convoked to assume the presidency (& become Peru's first female president.) https://t.co/5Ca9KwH825
— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) December 7, 2022
The US government, however, condemned Castillo’s “unconstitutional” act of trying to dissolve the Peruvian Congress. US ambassador to Peru Lisa Kenna criticised Castillo’s attempt “to prevent Congress from fulfilling its mandate” and urged the Peruvian public to remain calm.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Castillo’s move “undermined” Peru’s democracy. Keeping this in mind, he said the US “understands” the move to impeach Castillo. “We will continue to support the people of Peru. We will continue to stand against and categorically reject any acts that contradict Peru’s constitutions,” Price stressed.
In June 2021, Castillo, a leftist leader, was elected in a closely contested election after beating right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori. However, Castillo faced widespread opposition since coming to power, particularly against corruption and economic mismanagement charges.
In this regard, Castillo has faced two impeachment attempts—last December and then earlier this year in March. Following the attempts, his approval ratings plummeted to 25%, with the Peruvian public and opposition calling for his resignation. In fact, the latest motion to impeach him was approved just last Thursday.
BREAKING: Vice President Dina Boluarte is sworn in as President of Peru following the legislative coup against Pedro Castillo. pic.twitter.com/D9dKCgBpTk
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) December 7, 2022
Last month, over 5,000 protesters demonstrated in Lima against Castillo, calling for his resignation. Protesters accused the government of widespread corruption and implementing policies that have led to economic stagnation. Castillo is embroiled in an investigation into six criminal cases of corruption and plagiarism.
Peru has a history of impeachments and political turmoil and has recently witnessed episodes of political instability. The country saw the appointment of three presidents in the span of a few days in November 2020.
Peruvian lawmakers voted by an overwhelming majority to impeach then-President Martín Vizcarra over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and corruption allegations. In fact, Vizcarra himself came to power after former President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski was impeached on corruption charges.
Vizcarra was then replaced by Carlos Manuel Merino, who resigned after just five days in power following the deaths of protesters amid nationwide protests. Merino was succeeded by Francisco Sagasti, whose government was caught in a scandal after close to 500 government officials secretly received COVID-19 vaccines, an event that sparked outrage among the public and led to the resignations of the health and foreign ministers.
Boluarte, the country’s fifth president in just over two years, is set to hold the presidency until July 2026 and has asked for “space and time to rescue the country from corruption and incompetence within the government,” saying, “This cancer must be destroyed at the root.”