LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s president was ousted by Congress on Wednesday after attempting to dissolve the legislature and take unilateral control of the government, sparking a grave constitutional crisis.
Vice President Dina Boruarte replaced Pedro Castillo, becoming the first female leader in the history of the republic after hours of controversy between Congress and the president.
Bolarte, a 60-year-old lawyer, called for a political truce and the establishment of a national united government.
“What I want is space, time to save the country,” she said.
Lawmakers voted 101 to 6, 10 abstentions to remove Castillo for “persistent moral incapacity.”
He left the presidential palace in a car driving through Lima’s historic downtown. He entered the police station, but his status was not immediately known. In a photo circulating on his Twitter before the National Police were erased, Castillo could be seen sitting inside a train station surrounded by police.
Fluent in Spanish and Quechua, Boruarte was elected Vice President in the presidential election that brought Castillo to power on July 28, 2021. During Castillo’s brief administration, Boruarte was Minister of Development and Social Inclusion.
Shortly before the vote, Castillo announced that he would set up a new emergency government, governed by decree. He imposed a curfew from Wednesday night. The Peruvian military commander then resigned, along with four of his ministers, including those in charge of foreign affairs and the economy.
The Office of the Ombudsman, a self-government agency, said Castillo should turn himself over to judicial authorities before the parliamentary vote.
After years of democracy, Peru is in the midst of a constitutional collapse that can only be described as a coup, the statement said.
The international reaction occasionally outpaced the pace of the event.
US Ambassador. Lisa Kenna took to Twitter to call on Castillo to reverse his order to dissolve Congress, saying the US government rejected “unconstitutional” actions by the president to interfere with Congress.
After some time, Congress voted to remove Castillo.
Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter that given recent events in Peru, Mexico has decided to postpone the Pacific Alliance summit scheduled for Dec. 14 in Lima. He said he regretted the recent developments and called for respect for democracy and human rights.
The government of Chilean President Gabriel Boric lamented the political situation in Peru and believed that the crisis would be resolved through democratic mechanisms. The Spanish government strongly condemned the collapse of the constitutional order and congratulated the country on its democratic revival.
In an unusual midnight speech on national television before the vote, Castillo said: “Like millions of Peruvians, I am an honest and exemplary person who works every day to honestly build a future for my family. I will never tarnish my parents’ reputation.”
The farmer-turned-president said he paid the price for mistakes made by inexperience. “The only thing on the agenda is to fire me because I never accepted the results.”
Mr Castillo denied the allegations of corruption, saying it was “based on hearsay by people who have tried to implicate me without evidence in an attempt to misuse my trust to reduce punishment for alleged crimes”. Stated.
Federal prosecutors are investigating six cases against Castillo for alleged corruption, based on the theory that Castillo used his powers to profit from public works.
Power struggles continue in the Peruvian capital as the Andes and their thousands of small farms struggle to weather the worst drought in half a century. No, withered grass can no longer sustain herds of sheep, alpacas, vicunas, and llamas. Worse, bird flu has killed at least 18,000 seabirds, infected at least one poultry producer, and endangered chickens and turkeys raised for traditional holiday meals.
The government also confirmed last week that the country was hit by a fifth wave of COVID-19 infections. Since the pandemic began, 4.3 million Peruvians have been infected and 217,000 of them have died.
Castillo, the first president to come from a poor farming community in the country’s history, arrived at the presidential palace last year with no political experience. He changed his cabinet five times during his one-and-a-half years in office, went through 60 different ministers, and paralyzed various government agencies.
Castillo is the first president to be investigated while in office, but in a country where almost every former president of the past 40 years has been indicted for corruption linked to multinationals such as Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, The survey is not surprising.
Since 2016, Peru has been in a political crisis, with parliament and president trying to oust each other. President Martín Vizcarra (2018-2020) dissolved parliament in 2019 and ordered new elections. The new parliament dismissed Vizcarra the following year. Then came President Manuel Merino, and less than a week later, a crackdown ensued, killing two protesters and injuring more than 200. His successor, Francisco Sagasti, he lasted for nine months until Castillo took over.
