Peru’s president, Pedro Castillo, gambled big, but overplayed his hand: by dissolving the congress, the left-wing politician wanted to prevent a vote of no confidence in parliament – but in the end he miscalculated. Sensing a coup d’état, both his own cabinet and the opposition made the former village teacher appear. At the end of the day, Castillo was in custody – the charge: rebellion.
Who is Pedro Castillo?
The 53-year-old former teacher was elected president of Peru in 2021 with a narrow majority. Until June 2022 he was a member of the Marxist party “Free Peru”; however, he resigned to avoid imminent expulsion from the party.
The leftist politician never held any political office before being elected president. The farmer, teacher and trade unionist mainly represented rural Peru. He rose to national prominence when he led the nationwide teachers’ strike in 2017.
Politically, Castillo represents leftist, but also partly conservative views. He wants to promote the nationalization of the national industry and increase government investment in education and health care. At the same time, however, he spoke out against same-sex marriage and in favor of the death penalty. He also suggested the formation of paramilitary groups so that Peru’s youth could have a “revolutionary experience”. He called on the population to arm themselves to ensure justice through “socialist governance”.
Why was the president impeached?
Congress removed the 53-year-old from office by a large majority on Wednesday for “permanent moral incapacity”. The head of state is under a series of investigations into allegations of corruption and plagiarism. 101 MPs eventually voted to impeach, 6 against and 10 abstained. Castillo himself is probably to blame for the clear mood with his showdown. In the morning it was still unclear whether the 87 votes for the motion of no confidence would come together.
Then Castillo announced the dissolution of Congress. He wanted to set up an emergency government and rule by decree in the future. “Congress has destroyed the rule of law, democracy and the balance of state powers,” Castillo said. “We call on all social institutions and all social groups to support the decision.” Politicians from the government camp and the opposition saw this as a coup d’état.
Apparently Castillo had miscalculated. According to surveys, Congress, which is considered thoroughly corrupt, is still significantly less popular than the government. But the head of state probably went too far with his confrontation: many cabinet members abandoned him, especially Vice President Dina Boluarte. “I oppose Pedro Castillo’s decision to dissolve the Congress to bring about the collapse of the constitutional order. This is a coup that exacerbates the political and institutional crisis that Peruvian society must overcome in strict compliance with the law,” she wrote on Twitter.
Castillo was eventually arrested in the center of the capital Lima. The prosecution accuses him of an attack on the country’s constitutional order. The Attorney General’s Office announced that he is under investigation for rebellion.
After Castillo was impeached by parliament, Boluarte was sworn in as the new president. “I am aware of the enormous responsibility before me and I call for unity of all Peruvians,” the 60-year-old lawyer said in her inaugural address to Congress. “I call for broad dialogue between all political forces.” Boluarte is the first female head of state in the history of the South American country.
What are the backgrounds?
Castillo’s government has been under pressure since the former village school teacher took office in July last year. Due to various allegations and disagreements, key ministers have repeatedly resigned from their posts. Just two weeks ago, Castillo appointed a new chief of staff – the fifth in just under a year and a half. Since taking office, he had survived two impeachment proceedings. During the first 13 months of his government, he appointed or dismissed 67 ministers – an average of one change of government every six days. Stability is different.
The government of the left-wing politician was also involved in a permanent power struggle with the parliament, which was dominated by conservative forces. Most recently, Congress denied the head of state permission to travel to the Pacific Alliance summit in Mexico and canceled the meeting. Numerous parliamentarians are also under investigation for various charges, including corruption. Two of Castillo’s predecessors were removed from office in similar proceedings. Of Peru’s last ten presidents, six have been imprisoned (mostly for corruption), one was impeached in a congressional coup, one committed suicide shortly before his arrest (he was charged with corruption), and one resigned after six days in office amid nationwide backlash. protests.
How do countries react?
The United States condemned Castillo’s dissolution of Congress as a violation of the constitution, while the Mexican government was open to granting asylum to the deposed president: “We have a policy that favors asylum. I don’t think we should reject,” Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday (local time) on the Fórmula radio station. “If he asks for it, we will consider it positively.”
The Organization of American States (OAS) supported the new president Boluarte. “Today, the constitutional order has been changed in Peru. I assure Dina Boluarte of our support for democracy, peace and institutions in Peru and the urgent need to restore the democratic path in that country,” said OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro. (cpf)
Supplemented with material from the SDA.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
