Castillo, Dilma, Collor: Latin leaders overthrown in recent years

Former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo, who was impeached and imprisoned yesterday for his failed attempt to dissolve Congress, has joined the list of Latin American leaders who have been forced to resign or be impeached.

Castillo’s measure, which included an attempt to form an “emergency government,” caused a spurt in Congress, which approved his indictment for “moral incompetence.”

Castillo was replaced by his vice president, current president Dina Boularte, who raced against the clock to form her own government team. Just yesterday, at least 12 Peruvian ministers resigned.

Below, see the leaders of Latin America who have been overthrown or forced to resign in recent years.

Peru

On November 9, 2020, Congress also dismissed President Martín Vizcarra for “moral incompetence” in the context of corruption charges.

Speaker of the House Manuel Merino took his place, but resigned five days later.

On March 21, 2018, President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned on the eve of a possible parliamentary vote to overthrow him, in the context of a corruption scandal surrounding Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.

In November 2000, Congress also dismissed President Alberto Fujimori for “persistent moral incompetence”.

The leader fled to Japan, but was extradited years later. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2009 for leading massacres of civilians and later for corruption. Released on March 17, 2022.

Ecuador

Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, who was sentenced to six years in prison over the Odebrecht scandal, was sacked in early 2018 after three months in prison.

In April 2005, President Lucio Gutiérrez was also removed from office after being accused of placing people close to him before the Supreme Court in the midst of a popular uprising.

One of his predecessors, Abdala Bucaram, accused of embezzlement of public funds, was dismissed in February 1997, just six months after taking office.

Brazil

President Dilma Rousseff was impeached on August 31, 2016, by more than two-thirds of senators who found her guilty of hiding public accounts in a highly controversial impeachment process.

In September 2019, his successor, Michel Temer, who has been labeled a “coup leader” by the left, described the impeachment as a “coup” although he denied his participation.

Accused of corruption, Temer avoided filing lawsuits against the STF twice in 2017, with a vote of MPs.

In December 1992, accused of corruption, Fernando Color de Mello resigned early in the Senate impeachment process and lost his political rights for eight years.

Guatemala

In September 2015, President Otto Pérez lost his immunity, accused of running a customs corruption scheme. Risking dismissal, he resigned and was subsequently arrested.

He was sentenced to 16 years in prison on December 7, 2022.

Paraguay

Fernando Lugo was dismissed in 2012 because of the police operation against landless peasants, which resulted in 17 deaths.

Venezuelan

Charged with embezzlement and illegal enrichment, President Carlos Andrés Pérez was removed from office in May 1993 following a Senate vote. In 1996, he was sentenced to 2 years and 4 months in prison.

Other crises

The region has also been the scene of coups d’etat, such as when he was arrested and deported to Costa Rica in Honduras in June 2009 while preparing a plebiscite for constitutional reform and reelection.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was also the target of a military coup in April 2002, where he was arrested and returned to power two days later thanks to public demonstrations.

In October 2019, Bolivia’s then-President Evo Morales ran for a fourth term despite losing a referendum to have him stand for reelection. He resigned and left the country amid strong social turmoil and accusations of fraud.

Her replacement in office, Jeanine Áñez, was sentenced to ten years in prison last June for irregularly taking over the post.

* With information from AFP