Diplomatic turning point: the Argentine government is now asking for the reinstatement of Pedro Castillo as the presidency of Peru

The government of Alberto Fernández joined an unexpected joint communiqué with Andrés Manuel López Obrador, from Mexico; Gustavo Petro, from Colombia; and Luis Arce, from Bolivia, in which they expressed their opinion “deep concern about removal and detention” of the now former Peruvian president, Pedro Castillo. And in a convoluted way they have asked for his return to power, which in reality the Peruvian congress has decided following the provisions of the Constitution.

In this way, Fernández, whose foreign ministry had first criticized Castillo for altering the “constitutional order”, joins the controversial line of presidents who have not questioned Castillo for closing down Congress and purporting to govern by decree. Moreover, they defended him.

AMLO spoke of a “soft blow” against Castillo. Petro, of “parliamentary coup” against Petro. Arce lamented the “constant harassment of the elites against progressive governments”.

Last week, after the failed self-coup by Castillo – now detained and with a request for asylum in Mexico – Minister Santiago Cafiero published the following message, also read before the Permanent Council of the OAS: “Argentina regrets and expresses its His deep concern for the political crisis that his sister Republic of Peru is going through and calls on all political and social actors to safeguard democratic institutions, the rule of law and the constitutional order.” However, he did not mention the word coup d’état.

This Monday, together with Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico, Argentina expressed a change of position. “The governments of the Republic of Colombia, the United Mexican States, the Argentine Republic and the Plurinational State of Bolivia express their deep concern at the recent events that have led to the removal and detention of José Pedro Castillo Terrones, President of the Republic of Peru”.

They said: “It is not news to the world that President Castillo Terrones, since the day of his election, has been the victim of anti-democratic harassment, in violation of Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights, ‘Covenant of Costa Rica. This was approved on November 22, 1969, to be subsequently subjected to judicial treatment with the same modalities, in violation of article 25 of the aforementioned convention”.

The communiqué indicated that the four governments had made “an appeal to all actors involved in the previous process to give priority to the will of the citizens which was pronounced at the polls”. And that this was “the way of interpreting” the scope and meaning of the notion of democracy included in the Inter-American System of Human Rights. “We urge those who make up the institutions to refrain from overturning the popular will expressed by free suffrage,” they said without explaining what they are pursuing with it.

But at the same time they asked that the authorities “fully respect the human rights of President Pedro Castillo and that he be guaranteed judicial protection in the terms sanctioned by the last mentioned article”.

Over the weekend it was the provisional president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, who spoke curiously about what Alberto Fernández thought of the matter, who had kept silent about the situation and the action of his ally Castillo. It was when he tweeted to recount the “call of the president of the sister Republic of Argentina”, which, according to him, “expressed his support, support and collaboration in the framework of strengthening our democracy, bilateral relations and regional policies for the development of South America”.

Government denies “change of position”

Sources consulted in the Argentine Foreign Ministry on the statement published this Monday with the governments of Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico, have denied a change of position. This they said:

– “Argentina was one of the first countries to express its concern over the deep political crisis that unfolded in the Republic of Peru last week.”

– “Since the beginning of the crisis, the Argentine Republic has demanded respect for the constitutional order and democratic institutions, based on the observance of the norms and procedures established for these cases in the Peruvian Constitution itself”

– “Before last Wednesday’s events, Argentina had expressed its criticism of the political and media harassment to which Pedro Castillo has been subjected since the beginning of his mandate and which ended with his removal as President of Peru “.

– “In addition to asking for social peace and the coexistence of all actors, Argentina supports the continuity of the democratic order”.

– “Likewise, Argentina demands that the human rights of former president Pedro Castillo and his family be respected and guaranteed.”