Peruvian President Arrested After Trying to Dissolve Congress

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo made an unexpected statement to the nation and was soon dismissed by Congress; According to local media, the leader is being held after leaving the palace with his family.

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was arrested and dismissed by Congress this Wednesday (07/12) after announcing that the Assembly was dissolved and an “exceptional government” was formed.

It all happened after Castillo made an unexpected statement—what was described as a “coup” by representatives across the political spectrum—something akin to impeachment, just hours before a session of Congress in which a null motion would be voted on. , against him.

Following the announcement, Congress declared the president vacant, that is, acquitted, by 101 votes in favour. Parliament’s unicameral argument was its “persistent moral incapacity” to exercise the Presidency.

The Assembly decided that Vice President Dina Boluarte should take over the presidency.

Congress voted for the third time to impeach Castillo, but this time the vote exceeded the required 87 votes, which had not been obtained in previous sessions.

According to local media, Castillo went to the Lima police station, where he was arrested following his dismissal.

The National Police confirmed his arrest.

Analyst Alfredo Torres of the Ipsos Peru institute said, “Castillo’s coup attempt failed and democracy won. All institutions including the Justice, the Public Ministry and the Constitutional Court and the Forces Armed Forces and the National Police” rejected the coup.

“Castillo’s coup was a desperate ploy to try to hold onto power because there are several corruption-related charges with testimonies against him,” said Alfredo Torres of Ipsos in Lima.

national appeal

A few hours earlier, Castillo, in a suit and tie, with a presidential sash and the hatless that had characterized him during his presidential campaign, assured in a message to the nation that his decision to dissolve Congress was a response to “hurdle.” “It was imposed on his government by the legislature.

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“In response to the demand of citizens across the country, we have decided to form a state of emergency government aimed at establishing the rule of law and democracy,” he said, before explaining the measures required by the decision.

Them:

• Temporary dissolution of Congress;
• call for elections to the Constituent Congress;
• Government based on decree laws until a new Constitution is made;
• A nationwide curfew from 7:00 pm to 4:00 pm from December 7;
• Reorganization of the judiciary and other judicial bodies;
• Confiscation of illegally held weapons by civilians.

“The economic model based on the social market economy will be scrupulously respected,” the president said. “Private property will be respected and guaranteed.”

Peruvian news portals also described Castillo’s gesture as a coup. El Comercio published from Lima, “Coup d’état: Pedro Castillo announces the closing of Congress”, criticizing the presidential administration. Along the same lines, La República published: “Pedro Castillo makes a coup”.

Castillo assumed the Presidency in July 2021. Since then he has faced multiple corruption charges and had to change his ministers many times.

Following the President’s statement, the Ministers of Economy, Justice, Labor and Foreign Affairs and Peru’s ambassador to the UN announced their resignation. Castillo’s lawyer also announced that his client has resigned from his attorneyship.

Shortly thereafter, the Armed Forces and the National Police issued a joint statement, announcing: “Any act contrary to the established constitutional order is a violation of the Constitution and leads to incompatibility of the Armed Forces and the National Police of Peru.”

The Constitutional Court, among other institutions, described Castillo’s government as “usurper”.

american response

Following the announcement, the United States also sent a message requesting the withdrawal of the Congressional shutdown measure.

Lisa Kenna, the US ambassador to Peru, wrote on her official Twitter account that “The United States categorically rejects any unconstitutional action taken by President (Pedro) Castillo to prevent Congress from fulfilling its mandate.”

Kenna also writes, “The United States strongly urges President Castillo to reject the attempt to shut down Congress and allow Peru’s democratic institutions to function in accordance with the Constitution. We encourage the Peruvian people to remain calm during this time of uncertainty.”

The Argentine government also reacted. The Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on its social networks that it “sadly and deeply concerned about the political crisis facing the brotherly Republic of Peru and asks all political and social actors to protect democratic institutions, the rule of law and the constitutional order.” “.

Who is Pedro Castillo?

Castillo, a 51-year-old rural elementary school teacher, was elected in 2021 after a close election against Keiko Fujimori, the right-wing candidate and heir to former President Alberto Fujimori.

The election was so close that it took more than a month for Castillo to be declared the winner. Fujimori accused the election of fraud and started a legal battle.

castle one old rondero (member of peasant circles, community advocacy organisations), rural primary school teacher since 1995 ? with a master’s degree in educational psychology? and important teaching leader.

Born in Cajamarca, in the mountainous region of northern Peru, he rose to fame in 2017 by leading a 75-day teachers’ strike in various parts of the country. Protesters demanded salary increases for Peruvian teachers, among other things.

Three years later, in 2020, he announced his candidacy for president, representing Peru Libre, which describes itself as a left-wing Marxist party after its leader, Vladimir Cerrón, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.

During the campaign, he proposed a series of structural reforms that meant, among other things, a complete change in the Peruvian economic model.

To this end, Castillo supported the idea of ​​creating a new Political Constitution through a constituent assembly that would give the State an active role as market regulator.

Castillo traveled on horseback and had a support base in the Peruvian countryside, which he conquered by appealing to his humble origins and the great inequalities that existed in Peru.

Thus, it managed to capture the discontent of the poorest classes, especially in the interior of the country, historically forgotten by the centralism of the capital, Lima.

But despite her more left-wing leanings, she was against abortion or same-sex marriage and was “hard-line” about security.

With news from Mariana Sanches from Washington and Marcia Carmo from Buenos Aires