Vice President Dina Boluarte is sworn in as the new leader of Peru after Congress deposes President Pedro Castillo in Lima, Peru on December 7, 2022.
Anadolu agent | Anadolu agent | beautiful pictures
Peru was sworn in as the new president on Wednesday after a day of political drama that saw leftist leader Pedro Castillo arrested after he was ousted in an impeachment trial after a last-ditch effort. to cling to power by dissolving Congress.
Ignoring Castillo’s attempt to shut down the legislature by decree, the lawmakers proceeded to a previously scheduled impeachment trial, with 101 votes in favor of his removal, 6 votes against and 10 abstentions.
The results were announced to a standing ovation, and the legislature called for Vice President Dina Boluarte to take office.
Boluarte, 60, has been sworn in as president until 2026, becoming the first woman to lead Peru. She called for a political truce after months of unrest, including two previous impeachment attempts, and said a new cabinet comprising all political parties would be formed.
She criticized Castillo’s act of dissolving Congress as a “coup plot.”
The public ministry said Wednesday night that Castillo had been detained and charged with “rebellion” and “conspiracy” to violate the constitutional order.
Television stations showed Castillo leaving the police station and announced that he would be transferred to a police-run prison.
Castillo had previously said he would temporarily close Parliament, form an “exceptional government” and call new legislative elections.
Supporters of former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo clash with police upon arrival in Lima County, where Castillo is being held, in Lima, on December 7, 2022.
Ernesto Benavides | afp | beautiful pictures
That prompted his ministers to resign amid anger from opposition politicians and his allies that he was plotting a coup. The police and armed forces warned him that the path he took to try to dissolve Parliament was unconstitutional and police said they had “intervened” to fulfill his duty.
Several small street protests took place. In Lima, dozens of people waving Peruvian flags cheered Castillo’s downfall, while elsewhere in the capital and the city of Arequipa, his supporters marched and clashed with police. One held up a sign that read: “Pedro, everyone is with you.”
Dozens of policemen with plastic shields and helmets were deployed around the Palace of Government and Parliament in Lima, which is surrounded by metal fences.
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Peru has experienced years of political turmoil, with many leaders accused of corruption, frequently impeached 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 impede investigations.
Congress convened Castillo last week to respond to accusations of “moral incompetence” to govern.
Castillo called the allegations “slander” by groups seeking to “take advantage of and usurp the power that people have deprived them of at the polls.”
The 53-year-old leftist teacher turned president has survived two previous impeachments since he began his term in July 2021.
But after Wednesday’s attempt to dissolve Congress, his allies abandoned him and regional powers stressed the need for democratic stability.
“The United States firmly rejects any unconstitutional action by President Castillo to prevent Congress from carrying out its duties,” US Ambassador to Peru Lisa Kenna wrote on Twitter.
Later on Wednesday, a U.S. State Department spokesman welcomed Boluarte’s appointment in a statement, adding that the United States would “support Peru under the unity government President Boluarte has established. commitment to establish.”
The turmoil has rocked markets in the world’s second-largest copper-producing nation, though analysts say the removal of Castillo, who has battled a hostile Congress since taking power rights can be a positive thing in the end.
“Peruvian financial markets will suffer, but will not crash, largely thanks to solid fundamentals in the country,” said Andres Abadia at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
