Pedro Castillo’s miscalculation in Peru: from putschist to ousted president

On the morning of this Wednesday, former President Pedro Castillo Congress dissolved, He ordered a state of emergency and ordered a curfew, in an attempt to prevent the Legislature from sacking him in the afternoon of the same day for alleged acts of corruption.

However, Castillo, who took office on July 28, 2021 as Peru’s first left-wing head of state, miscalculated. Military leaders did not support his decision, his ministers resigned en masse and with a majority of 101 votes, 6 against and 10 abstentions, Congress dismissed him for moral incapacity.

In less than a decade, Peru has had 4 inconclusive governments: Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2016-2018), Martín Vizcarra (2018-2020), Manuel Merino (2020) and now Pedro Castillo: one year and just over 4 months.

Since Castillo began his government on July 28, 2021, the right-wing groups that lost the election, led by Keiko Fujimori, has sparked a campaign to expose false electoral fraud.

The congress

Since that didn’t work, the opposition benches from Congress undertook a first impeachment attempt on December 7, 2021, and the second on March 29 this year. They failed.

However, at the same time, the National Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation alleged acts of corruption in which President Castillo himself, members of his cabinet and members of his family were involved.

When the authorities began to arrest some of the people involved, some decided to cooperate with justice and reveal the existence of bribery paymentsincluding the head of state.

But no witnesses have appeared who have admitted to having handed over money to President Castillo himself.

Last week, a real estate developer finally confessed to paying 4 million soles (just over a million dollars) the former head of advisers to the Ministry of Construction, Salatiel Marrufo, a member of a group of compatriots and close friends of President Castillo known as the “Shadow Cabinet”.

While in prison, Salatiel Marrufo surrendered to the authorities and said he was willing to admit his crimes and confess to acts of corruption. Marrufo confirmed to the prosecution that part of the bribe (100,000 soles, about $26,000) He delivered it in cash to President Castillo.

Marrufo also revealed that he gave 1 million soles (more than $260,000) at the request of the head of state to pay 20 deputies to vote against the presidential impeachment on December 7.

As if it were a perfectly prepared script, the Congressional Oversight Commission summoned witness Salatiel Marrufo to tell about the bribery payments to Pedro Castillo, jJust the same day Wednesday morning, a few hours after the debate on the new request for dismissal of the head of state for alleged acts of corruption.

Then it all went very quickly. At 9:40 in the morning, Marrufo began his confession, at 11:40 the president addressed the message to the nation announcing the dissolution of Congress, the reorganization of the Judiciary, the Constitutional Court, the National Council of Justice and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. And he has imposed a state of exception and a curfew.

Not supported

At that time, Castillo it did not have the support of the Armed Forces or the State Policeeverything indicated that he was calling on the people to take to the streets because, according to polls, Congress is the most despised institution.

However, instead of popular support, social media they were inundated with the resignations of ministerswhich meant that Castillo did not even have the support of his cabinet.

Almost simultaneously, the president of Congress, retired Army General José Williams, a hero in the fight against terrorism, reacted quickly. At 13:00 he proposed to release or fire President Castillo for moral incapacity. And at 1:50 pm, heThe vote was in favor with 101 votes.

Castillo, who had left the Government Palace with his family at 1:40 pm, was arrested shortly after, at 10:00 pm by order of the State Police. when he was on his way to the Mexican embassy. The police authorities intervened because the authorities of the different powers claimed that Castillo had violated the Constitution.

The national prosecutor, Patricia Benavides, arrived at the police station where Castillo is being held. Benavides was the one who asked Congress to investigate Castillo as the leader of a criminal organization. Ironically, this Wednesday it was she who informed him that she is taking on a case of the crime of rebellionwhich provides for a penalty of 10 to 20 years of imprisonment.

Pedro Castillo, a provincial elementary school teacher, launched as a candidate by a provincial party, Peru Libre, and became the first elected leftist president in the history of the country, apart from the case of rebellion, he will also face serious corruption charges.

Unlike Alberto Fujimori’s last coup on April 5, 1992, which had the strong support of the Armed Forces, and the National Intelligence Service led in the shadows by the “shadow monk”, Vladimiro Montesinos; Castillo did not have the support of the military. And the National Intelligence Directorate (which replaced the SIN) is a dud.

His first vice president, Dina Boluarte, a provincial lawyer who has always supported him, has buried any illusion of adherence to what remained of the Castillo government.

Even before removal, Boluarte strongly condemned the coup and left the door open for Congress to anoint her as Peru’s first female president, replacing whoever was the country’s first left-wing head of state. But it is not known how long Boluarte will last. In Peru you never know.

pp