Peru updates: Congress removes Castillo, swears in new president

Lack of planning was a “constant” in Castillo’s short presidency, an analyst on Latin American politics has told Al Jazeera.

“Virtually everything was improvised, from his botched COVID recovery response to his sparring with congressional opposition, which made it its mission to oust Castillo practically from day one,” said Will Freeman, a PhD candidate at Princeton University in the United States.

Castillo’s presidency also ended with an improvised move – attempting to dissolve Congress, Freeman added.

“His haphazard self-coup attempt received virtually no support beyond the walls of the presidential palace. It ended up looking like a reckless attempt to avoid being ousted by Congress and facing corruption charges, but it only ended up speeding up those outcomes,” he said.

Peru has seen a series of presidents removed from office or imprisoned on allegations of corruption over the past 30 years.

Castillo is the latest of a long line of presidents whose terms ended prematurely amid chaos and scandals.

Read more about the years-long unrest in Peruvian politics here.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has urged “democratic stability for the benefit of the people” in Peru.

In a series tweets, Obrador said an atmosphere of “confrontation and hostility” had led Castillo to take decisions that ultimately served his opponents, leading to his removal from office. He also called for human rights to be respected in the country.

Renata Segura, the deputy programme director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Crisis Group think-tank, has said that Peru’s armed forces played a key role in what happened in the country.

“The role of the military forces was key in determining the outcome of today’s episode,” Segura said in a series of tweets.

“The Joint Command of the Armed Forces and the National Police issued a joint statement remarking that they are ‘respectful of the established constitutional order’.”

She also noted the country has been suffering from “chronic” turmoil amid confrontations between presidents and politicians.

“In less than a decade, the country has had six presidents,” Segura wrote.

The role of the military forces was key in determining the outcome of today's episode. The Joint Command of the Armed Forces and the National Police issued a joint statement remarking that they are "respectful of the established constitutional order." 7/9https://t.co/9JBVcJfqCr

— Renata Segura (@renaticas) December 7, 2022

Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez, reporting from Lima, has said there are some tensions outside Congress.

Sanchez said police have cordoned off the area and are keeping apart two groups of demonstrators: one that supports Castillo and another that backs his removal from the presidency.

“We will see how people will react on the streets,” she added.

Peru’s Justice Administration has released a photo of Castillo speaking with Peruvian prosecutors after his impeachment. It is not clear whether he is formally under arrest.

Several news outlets reported earlier that Castillo left the presidential palace in a vehicle that drove him through Lima’s historic downtown area and later entered a police station.

Boluarte has said her first order of business would be to address government corruption, ostensibly what felled Castillo.

“There has been an attempted coup … that has not found an echo in the institutions, nor in the street,” said the new interim leader, who also called for a political truce to install a national unity government.

“What I ask for is space, time to rescue the country,” she said.

Observers should be concerned “about Peru’s future as a democracy” amid the ongoing political turmoil in the country, an expert on Latin American politics has told Al Jazeera.

“Congress and the executive are constantly at each other’s throats – essentially checks and balances on overdrive – giving the armed forces final say,” said Will Freeman, a PhD candidate at Princeton University in the United States.

“Fortunately, Peru’s armed forces have expressed zero interest in getting involved in politics, but it’s disturbing that so much was riding on their response. If a Castillo 2.0 emerges who can rally support from Peru’s frustrated majority, this episode has shown that Peru’s democracy would be skating on very thin ice.”

The Peruvian legislature has sworn in Castillo’s vice president, Dina Boluarte, as the country’s new interim president.

Boluarte, 60, is now the first woman to lead the South American country.

Bilingual in Spanish and Quechua, she was on the same ticket when voters chose Castillo in July 2021. She also served as minister of development and social inclusion.

In recent years, Peruvian politics have been marked by crisis and turmoil, with near-constant turmoil between legislators and presidents.

President Martin Vizcarra, who served between 2018 and 2020, dissolved Congress in 2019 and ordered new elections. That new legislature removed Vizcarra the next year.

Then came President Manuel Merino, who lasted less than a week in November 2020 before a police crackdown on protests demanding his resignation left two dead and injured 200 others.

His successor, Francisco Sagasti, lasted nine months before Castillo took over.

Juanita Goebertus Estrada, head of the Americas division at Human Rights Watch, has said there is “solid evidence” that Castillo used his presidential powers to obstruct investigations into “serious corruption cases against him”.

Now that he is no longer President, those investigations must continue, as well as those into his actions today,” she wrote on Twitter.

The US has indicated that it no longer considers Castillo to be Peru’s president.

“My understanding is that, given the action of the Congress, he is now former President Castillo,” US Department of State spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

Price added that Peru’s lawmakers took “corrective action” in line with democratic rules.

Chile has said it “deeply regrets” the situation in Peru, calling for the crisis to be resolved “through democratic mechanisms” and respect for the rule of law.

“Our country makes an emphatic call for respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and reaffirms its commitment to democracy and dialogue as the way to overcome this complex moment,” the Chilean foreign ministry said in a statement.

Peru’s national police have called on the public to “remain calm” amid the unfolding crisis.

In a tweet, the force denounced what it called “the breach of constitutional order”, without specifying what exactly it was referring to.

“We reject the breach of the constitutional order and urge the population to respect the Political Constitution and remain calm. Likewise, trust in state institutions,” the police said.

#PNPInforma 📢| Rechazamos el quebrantamiento del orden constitucional y exhortamos a la población a respetar la Constitución Política y a mantener la calma. Asimismo, confiar en las instituciones del Estado. pic.twitter.com/qwsn3nULnH

— Policía Nacional del Perú (@PoliciaPeru) December 7, 2022

The Pacific Alliance meeting set to be held in Peru next week has been postponed, Mexico’s foreign ministry has said, amid the Peruvian political turmoil.

The regional alliance includes Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

Mexico has expressed “regret” about the government turmoil in Peru.

“Mexico regrets the latest events in Peru and wishes respect for democracy and human rights,” Mexican foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard wrote on Twitter.

Reporting from Peru’s capital, Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez has said that Castillo is at a police station in the centre of Lima.

“We haven’t been able to confirm that he has been detained, but he’s at a police station,” Sanchez reported, adding that he was seen leaving the presidential palace with his family.

“He is with his family, with some bags, and we don’t know what will happen with him for now,” Sanchez said.

Castillo has faced multiple crises since he took office in more than a year ago.

Sworn in July 2021, the teacher and union leader from rural Peru faced mounting corruption allegations, a grim approval rating, and a stillborn legislative agenda thwarted by an opposition-dominated Congress.

Castillo, a political fledgling and son of illiterate farmers, stormed into Lima on promises to rewrite the country’s constitution, redistribute mineral wealth, and resuscitate a nation reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Al Jazeera examined Castillo’s presidency on its one-year anniversary. Read more here.