The President of Peru, Pedro Castillo was impeached on Wednesday by the country’s Congress after he attempted to dissolve the opposition-dominated legislative body. He failed to dissolve the nation’s Congress hours before it was scheduled to commence its third round of impeachment proceedings against him, since he was sworn into office on July 28, 2021.
Castillo’s televised speech on Wednesday calling for the dissolution of Congress and setting up a “government of exception” had sparked outrage from both his allies and opposition politicians who claimed the 53-year-old was attempting a coup.
In his speech, Castillo declared a curfew and would rule by decree once “a new congress with constituent powers to draw up a new constitution” would be organized “within no more than 9 months”.
101 members of the country’s 130-person Congress voted to impeach Castillo while the country’s Vice President (VP), Dina Boluarte, was sworn in, making her the country’s first female president.
He was arrested for “rebellion” by allegedly violating the constitutional order of the South American nation.
In her acceptance speech as the country’s new president, Boluarte called for a political truce and announced that members of all major political parties would be included in the formation of a new cabinet.
