LIMA – Dec 8– After a day of political drama
Leftist leader Pedro Castillo was deposed from office in an impeachment trial after making a last-ditch effort to retain power by dissolving Congress
Peru’s new president Boluarte was sworn in on Wednesday
Boluarte, 60, who will serve as president through 2026, will be the country’s first female president. After months of unrest, including two prior impeachment attempts, she called for a political ceasefire and announced the formation of a new cabinet that would include representatives from all political parties. Castillo’s decision to dissolve Congress was denounced by her as an “attempted coup.”
The legislature continued with its previously scheduled impeachment trial despite Castillo’s attempt to dissolve it by executive order, receiving 101 votes in favor of doing so, six against, and 10 abstentions.
After the outcome was announced to raucous applause, Vice President Dina Boluarte was asked to assume office by the legislature.
After the outcome was announced to raucous applause, Vice President Dina Boluarte was asked to assume office by the legislature.
Boluarte, 60, who will serve as president through 2026, will be the country’s first female president. After months of unrest, including two prior impeachment attempts, she called for a political ceasefire and announced the formation of a new cabinet that would include representatives from all political parties. Castillo’s decision to dissolve Congress was denounced by her as an “attempted coup.”
His ministers resigned, as a result, prompting furious accusations that he was planning a coup from both his allies and the opposition.
The police claimed they had “intervened” to carry out their duties while the armed forces warned him that the path he had taken to try to dissolve Congress was unconstitutional. There were a few modest street protests.
Numerous people in Lima waved Peruvian flags in celebration of Castillo’s defeat, while his supporters marched and engaged in street combat with law enforcement in other parts of the city and in Arequipa.
“Pedro, the people are with you,” one of them proclaimed on a sign. The Government Palace and Congress in Lima were surrounded by metal barricades and dozens of police officers wearing shields and plastic helmets.
Years of political unrest in Peru have seen numerous leaders accused of corruption, numerous attempts to remove them from office, and shortened presidential terms.
The most recent legal dispute started in October when Castillo was charged with violating the constitution by allegedly leading “a criminal organization” to profit from state contracts and obstructing investigations.
Castillo was called before Congress last week to answer claims of “moral incapacity” for office. Castillo referred to the accusations as “defamation” made by organizations hoping “to capitalize on and seize the power that the people lost at the polls.”
Since he took office in July 2021, the 53-year-old leftist teacher who later became president has fended off two previous attempts to have him removed from office. But following his attempt to dissolve Congress on Wednesday, his allies turned against him, and regional powers emphasized the importance of maintaining democratic stability.
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The U.S. ambassador to Peru, Lisa Kenna, posted on Twitter that the country “categorically rejects any extra-constitutional act by President Castillo to prevent Congress from carrying out its mandate.”
The United States would “support Peru under the unity government President Boluarte pledged to form,” a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said in a statement released later on Wednesday.
Market turbulence rocked the second-largest copper producer in the world, but analysts predicted that Castillo’s ouster, who had been up against a hostile Congress since taking office, might ultimately prove beneficial. Because of strong domestic fundamentals, Peru’s financial markets will suffer but not collapse, according to Andres Abadia of Pantheon Macroeconomics.
