On Wednesday, Peru swore in a new president following a day of political drama that saw socialist leader Pedro Castillo imprisoned after being removed from office in an impeachment trial following his last-ditch attempt to cling to power by dissolving Congress.
Ignoring Castillo’s attempt to close the legislature by decree, members proceeded with an impeachment trial, with 101 votes in favor of removing him, six against, and ten abstentions.
The result was announced to great applause, and the legislature requested that Vice President Dina Boluarte take office.
Boluarte, 60, was sworn in as Peru’s president until 2026, making her the country’s first female leader. She called for a political truce after months of turmoil, including preceding two impeachment attempts, and announced the formation of a new cabinet that will include representatives from all major parties.
She called Castillo’s decision to dissolve Congress a “attempted coup.”
On Wednesday evening, the public ministry announced that Castillo had been arrested and charged with “rebellion” and “conspiracy” for violating the constitutional decree.
Castillo was seen leaving a police station, and it was claimed that he will be sent to a police-run prison.
Castillo has stated previously that he would temporarily shut down Congress, institute a “government of exception,” and call new legislative elections.
His ministers resigned as a result, prompting furious claims from both opposition lawmakers and his allies that he was plotting a coup.
The police and military forces informed him that his method of dissolving Congress was unlawful, and the police declared they had “intervened” to perform their obligations.
Some small street protests took place. In Lima, dozens of people waving Peruvian flags cheered Castillo’s downfall, while elsewhere in the capital and in the city of Arequipa his supporters marched and clashed with police. One held a sign saying: “Pedro, the people are with you.”
Dozens of police officers with shields and plastic helmets were deployed around the Government Palace and Congress in Lima, which were surrounded by metal barricades.
U.S. WELCOMES NEW GOVERNMENT
Peru has gone through years of political turmoil, with multiple leaders accused of corruption, frequent impeachment attempts, and presidential terms cut short.
The latest legal battle began in October, when the prosecutor’s office filed a constitutional complaint against Castillo for allegedly leading “a criminal organization” to profit from state contracts and for obstructing investigations.
Congress summoned Castillo last week to respond to accusations of “moral incapacity” to govern.
Castillo has called the allegations “slander” by groups seeking “to take advantage and seize the power that the people took from them at the polls.”
The 53-year-old leftist teacher-turned-president had survived two previous attempts to impeach him since he began his term in July 2021.
But after Wednesday’s attempt to dissolve Congress his allies abandoned him and regional powers underlined the need for democratic stability.
“The United States categorically rejects any extra-constitutional act by President Castillo to prevent Congress from fulfilling its mandate,” the U.S. ambassador to Peru, Lisa Kenna, wrote on Twitter.
Later on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department welcomed Boluarte’s appointment in a statement, adding that the United States would “support Peru under the unity government President Boluarte pledged to form.”
The turmoil rattled markets in the world’s number two copper producer, though analysts said that the removal of Castillo, who has battled a hostile Congress since taking power, could eventually be positive.
“Peru’s financial markets will suffer, but won’t collapse, thanks mainly to solid domestic fundamentals,” said Andres Abadia at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
Reuters
